The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
by vellathewench
Summary: Who is Jessie Drake and how did she become a hunter? How will her life's path be altered when she finally comes face to face with the Winchester brothers?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jessie Drake was five feet, seven inches tall with straight brown hair that fell halfway down her back. While she might look pretty average, she wasn't just an average thirty year old woman. She was a hunter with a deadly accurate aim.

It was a dark and damp night in April, the moon was almost full in the sky, a cool breeze was blowing.

Jessie was creeping through the shadows of an alleyway, a pistol loaded with silver bullets in one hand and an old silver dagger in the other. She was busy stalking a werewolf, one that had escaped her several times in the past few months, only she wasn't intending on letting it get away tonight, she knew exactly where it would be, and that's exactly where she was headed.

She stopped walking once she reached the opposite end of the alley, quickly concealing her gun in the front inside pocket of her black leather jacket, and the knife in a sheath inside her shin high leather boots, then walked out onto the sidewalk.

There were only a few people out on the streets this night, too cool and damp for most, except for some rowdy men hanging out in front of the bar at the corner of the street, smoking and carrying on. She walked down the street in front of the bar, ignoring the cat calls and whistling, she was accustomed to it in her line of work. She was too concerned with finding a man who hung around the area, the one she suspected was a werewolf. She'd seen him in the neighbourhood for the past few nights, but he kept giving her the slip. She wasn't going to let that happen tonight.

She crossed the road when she reached the corner, ducking into the shadows of the buildings whenever she could. She'd gone almost a block when she thought she heard a growl. Her instincts kicked in instantly, as she reached into her jacket pulling out her gun. She made sure the safety was off, then cocked it, holding it steady in front of her with both hands, like a trained professional.

She ducked into an alley that ran between two buildings, staying close to the wall, it was always safer to have something solid behind you. She moved slowly, stealthily, each footstep deliberate, as she approached the end of the alley. She knew the werewolf was around here somewhere, this is the area he'd been hunting every night for the last couple of nights. In fact, the first body found during this lunar cycle, the body of a woman, had been found in this very alley, bitten, torn up and her heart removed.

Jessie had deep regrets about not being able to stop him before he'd killed, but she felt even more angry with herself for not being able to find out who he was, never being able to catch a proper glimpse of him, even though she'd been stalking him for months. It wasn't like her at all and she was beginning to have doubts about hunting, but she was unsure what she would do if she wasn't hunting, it was all she'd known for so long, she didn't think she could do anything else. She suddenly heard a strange sound that snapped her back to reality. It was too dangerous to be thinking about anything but staying alert.

She turned around quickly, just in time to see the figure of a man approaching her at a quick speed in the darkness. She aimed her gun, but she didn't have enough time to get a clean shot off, missing her target by mere inches. The werewolf dodged the bullet, leaping at her with claws extended, knocking her backwards into the wall, her gun falling from her hand. She reached into her boot, pulling out the silver dagger swiftly, stabbing the creature in the shoulder. She'd been aiming for his heart, but she missed her mark as she dodged his snarling maw full of dagger sharp teeth, which had been very close to her face. She pulled her dagger free from his shoulder as he was pulling away. He stood snarling and growling at her for a moment, then ran off in the direction he'd come from.

"Son of a bitch!" she yelled in frustration as she pulled herself to her feet.

Jessie sheathed her dagger, picked her gun up from the ground, tucking it into the back of her pants, where it would be easily accessible. She took a few steps forward, nearly falling over, her head spinning. Breathing heavily, she stood still, checking her left arm, which was bleeding heavily from a few deep scratches, the arm of her jacket shredded.

"Now you're gonna pay for wrecking my jacket," she whispered angrily.

She pulled her dagger from her boot again, cutting a piece of her t-shirt and tied it around her bleeding arm, then resheathed the dagger and headed the the direction the werewolf had ran. When she got to the end of the alley and looked in all directions, she had no idea where he'd gone, so she decided to head back to her motel room. There wouldn't be any way to track him down now.

Jessie stumbled into her motel room, ripping off her jacket hastily, before she even closed the door. She grabbed her dufflebag, which was on the couch, and dug around until she found her medical kit. She cleaned her wounds, stitched them up, then bandaged them. Once she felt better, she was going to grab a bite to eat, but her arm was throbbing painfully, so she had a couple of shots of vodka, then laid down in bed, falling asleep quickly.

**A/N: I know, it's a small chapter to begin with, but it's sorta like a teaser. For the die-hard fans, just know I've only been a fan for just over a year and haven't even seen every episode. I've seen seasons 1-4 and only a couple in 5, before I understood what was going on and maybe half of season 6. This is my own little piece of the show, so to speak and I can't say who will or won't appear, just know I won't be delving into any angel/god stuff, at least not in the beginning.**

**I will update again very soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jessie woke up the next morning, just before noon, her arm throbbing painfully. She dragged herself out of bed, sitting down on the couch where her medical kit was still sitting, ripping off the bandage. One glance told her it was infected, not that she was surprised, werewolf scratches usually became infected, she would've been more surprised if it wasn't. She spied the bottle of vodka she'd drank from the night before, it was still sitting on the table where she'd left it the night before. She opened it up and poured some on her wound, a faint cry of pain escaping her lips as she did so. She shook her head with frustration at herself, wondering why she hadn't thought of it the night before.

After she changed her bandage, she got dressed into a clean t-shirt and jeans, brushed her hair and teeth, and left the motel room. She walked down the street, almost a block, to a small diner that served all day breakfast. She sat down in a booth in the corner of the room, she liked to keep an eye on the door at all times.

"Coffee, hun?" the waitress asked as she approached the table with a decanter full of coffee.

"Yes, thank you," she replied, flipping the overturned coffee cup on the table over.

The waitress filled the cup near the top, then excused herself for a moment, returning with a pad of paper and a pen.

"What can I get for you, hun?"

"I'll have two eggs, once over easy, with sausage, hashbrowns, toast, and a fruit cup."

"Sure thing," she said with a smile, promptly leaving to place the order.

Jessie opened two packets of sugar into her coffee and one creamer, stirring it thoroughly, then proceeded to take a sip before placing the cup back on the table. She spied a newspaper on the table next to her, so she scooped it up and began to peruse through it while drinking her coffee.

When the waitress brought her fruit cup, she folded the paper up, setting it down so she could read and eat at the same time. As she finished, she noticed two men walk in, sitting down in the booth two spaces away. She wasn't sure why, but they seemed familiar to her somehow, even though she was positive she'd never met them. She cursed herself for having such a terrible memory lately, she wasn't sure what had gotten in to her in the past few months, but she was worried her lifestyle was finally beginning to catch up with her, that she was losing her edge.

When Jessie was finished eating her fruit cup, the waitress brought the rest of her food and refilled her coffee. She nibbled at her food absentmindedly, while she continued to read the newspaper. She was setting the paper down when she saw a photo on the other side of the page she recognized, the man she'd been hunting for months, the werewolf.

She jumped excitedly, knocking the table with her knee, spilling some of her coffee, the sound made many of the patrons turn to glance at her, including the men she thought she recognized. She smiled with embarrassment, then began cleaning up her mess with napkins, until the waitress came and wiped it with a cloth. She smiled apologetically at her, asking for more coffee, then turned to the newspaper again.

His name was Herbert Close and he worked for the newspaper as a reporter and columnist. She was ecstatic she'd finally found the break she needed and just in time She opened the paper to the second page, looking for the address to the newspaper office, writing it in a memo on her cell phone.

When the waitress brought her coffee, she thanked her, paying for her bill and leaving a generous tip, then proceeded to drink her coffee quickly, finishing only half of it. She stood up, beginning to walk towards the exit, when her arm began to throb painfully from the motion of her arm swinging, distracting her for a split second, it was just long enough to walk into the back of one of the men at the table, who had stood up as well.

"I am so sorry," she apologized.  
>She bent over to pick up her phone, which she'd dropped in the collision when she noticed something peculiar. She could see a knife sticking just out of the boot of the man she'd bumped in to.<p>

Hmm, maybe he's a hunter and that's why he seems familiar, she thought as she picked up her phone, apologizing again to the man, before hurriedly leaving the diner. Once she was outside, she began to wonder if the man might just be a criminal, but she didn't care, that wasn't her problem. Her only problem was the werewolf she was hunting. She had to get him tonight. She wasn't going to stop until he was dead...or she was.

Jessie hopped into her car, a black 1993 Chevy Caprice, with navy blue interior, tinted windows and a push bar on the front. It looked very much like an old police car, or an undercover vehicle, and she liked it that way. It made playing a cop or fed a little more believeable. The car had been her grandfather's and she cherished it almost as much as he had.

She retrieved her lap top from the passenger side of the car and proceeded to google a map to the newspaper office, then began to search for anything she could find on Herbert Close. She found articles he'd written and a handful of news stories about writing awards he'd been given, but nothing of interest. She closed the lap top, then headed back to her motel room to change. She changed into a woman's black dress suit, then drove straight to the newspaper office.

After talking to several helpful people, many with conflicting directions, Jessie found her way to Herbert's boss's office. He was on the phone when she entered, so she sat patiently waiting for him. When the man began to ramble, she glared at him lightly with slight annoyance. The man hastily made an excuse, then hung up the phone, standing up to greet her, hand extended.

She stood up as well, shook his hand, then pulled out her fake I.D. and flashed it for the man to see.

"My name is Special Agent Marks," she said confidently, placing the I.D. back into her pocket, then sitting back down in the chair. "I was hoping to speak to you about one of your employees."

The balding man looked at her shrewdly, leaning on his desk. "What is this about?"

"Is Herbert Close working today?"

"Herbert?" he said curiously. "Actually, he called in sick today."

She nodded once to acknowledge his reply, then thought for a moment about her next question. She knew he'd probably called in sick because he was injured from the night before. She had at least managed to stab him in the shoulder before he'd gotten away.

"What kind of man would you say Herbert is, Mr. Black?"

He narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, gazing at her shrewdly once more. "Is he in some kind of trouble?"

"That's classified information, Mr. Black."

He looked slightly annoyed for a moment, hoping to find something out, he was a reporter after all, it was in their nature to be curious.

"He's a great employee, always has been. Works hard, punctual...pays his taxes." She laughed to herself in amusement, she knew he was trying to figure out why she was there. "He's a great writer. In fact, he's one of my best."

"How has his work attendance been?"

"Pretty much perfect. He's always here when he's supposed to be, except when he's not working from home. He does that a few times each month."

"Would I be able to look at his personel records?"

He eyed her warily for a moment. "Absolutely. Just go down to Human Resources. I'll call down to them now and let them know you're coming."

"Thank you very much," she said, standing up and extending her hand. "You've been very helpful."

He shook her hand, walked her out of the office, directing her to the HR office.

She could feel Mr. Black's eyes on her as she left, heading towards the HR office. She didn't think he suspected anything, but one could never tell. This was a necessary evil of her job, but she hated it most of all. She could deal with monsters, but she absolutely dreaded having to pretend she was a cop, a federal agent, or someone else she wasn't. She wasn't a liar and these skills were not ingrained in her for many years like some hunters, but she'd learned quickly, she didn't have any other choice. It just so happened she was very believable.

The Human Resources office was very helpful, supplying her with what she'd wanted, Herbert's home address. She left quickly, but not too quickly to arouse suspicion. As she was leaving the elevator on the main floor, she spied two men dressed in suits and ties, the same two men she'd seen at the diner not long before. She cursed under her breath, sneaking out of the elevator, doing her best to stay behind the other people so the men wouldn't see her. Once she was outside, she hurried to her car, driving back to her motel room quickly.

Inside the motel room, she changed out of the suit she was wearing, replacing it with jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket. She lamented about her old jacket the werewolf had ruined, it had been her favorite, but she didn't really have time to worry about trivial things at the moment, she needed to get to Herbert's house as soon as she could. She was positive now that those two men were hunters and she wasn't about to allow them to interfere with her hunt. She'd spent too much time tracking him, not to mention she had a personal score to settle with him. He had to die at her hands, she wouldn't be satisfied any other way.

It was already late afternoon by the time she drove down Herbert's street, parking a few houses away, the sun was already beginning to go down. She got out of the car, opening the trunk. She pulled up hard on the false bottom of the trunk, revealing an assortment of weapons and tools she used for hunting. Unless someone had known what they were looking for, they never would have suspected it was anything but a normal trunk, since her car had a large trunk space anyway.

She pulled her pistol from her pants, double checking to make sure it was still loaded, then placed it in her front jacket pocket. She grabbed extra bullets, placing them into her pocket, then decided to grab another pistol, just in case, a hunter could never be too careful, especially after her last encounter with him. She placed it in her jeans pocket, then grabbed a silver knife, placing it in the boot opposite of the one with the dagger she always carried with her. Once she was happy she had all she needed, she closed the trunk tight, first making sure the false bottom was locked.

Jessie glanced around the quiet street, checking to see if anyone was out and about, but she noticed no one. The street lights had come on, and the sky was darkening rapidly, one bright star could be seen in an otherwise empty sky. The houses on this street were larger than most of the town, as well as the yards. She was always glad to hunt in a neighbourhood like this, the less witnesses, the better. As she turned towards Herbert's house, she caught a glimpse of a bright light on the horizon, the moon.

"Shit!" she cursed aloud. "I thought I had more time."

Jessie hopped the short chain link fence that ran around Herbert's property with ease, then appoached it slowly, deliberately, being careful to make as little noise as possible. When she reached the side of the house, she turned so her back was up against it, pulling out her gun, then walked towards the side window, glancing in. She saw nothing when she looked in, only one lamp was illuminating the room, and she noticed no movement. She continued walking slowly down the side of the house, glancing in the second window, but the room was too dark to see anything. She continued into the back yard, peeking in another window, but still nothing. She didn't have a choice but to try the back door.

She pulled out her lock pick, quickly unlocking the back door and opened it silently. She stood still for a moment, listening, but heard nothing, so she proceeded to enter the house carefully. Holding her gun in both hands, she walked softly through the dark kitchen, the street lights and the moon were the only things illuminating the room. She opened the kitchen door slowly, peeking into the next room, which was the livingroom. The lamp she'd seen turned on through the outside window was in this room. She once again walked in slowly and carefully, her gun raised, held steady in both hands. She walked towards the front of the house, walking around the furniture, heading towards a door she imagined lead to the hallway or a front room. But as she was about to open the door, she heard the front door slam.

She jumped, startled, but she didn't panic. She turned the doorknob, opening the door slowly, but saw no one. She walked into the front room, which had several windows, and saw Herbert outside, walking away from the house. She raced to the front door, scrambling to unlock the door, then ran out after him. He was almost out of his yard when she made it outside, running towards him.

"Get back here you monster!" she yelled, breathing heavily from the exertion of running.

Herbert turned around, snarling and growling, baring his teeth and began to run towards her.

This was the moment Jessie had been waiting for, dreaming of, for a very long time. She squeezed the trigger confidently, aiming for his heart, but he dodged at the last second, still continuing to run at her. She only had a split second to squeeze off another shot, before he ran at her, knocking her over, the gun falling from her hands. She stuck her legs out, trying to push him away, while trying to avoid his angry gaping maw. She managed to get to the dagger in her boot, slicing him all the way up his side, from his hip to his chest, blood spurting everywhere. He screamed in pain, becoming enraged. She tried to get the knife into his chest, but he was fighting too furiously and she was too concerned about his mouth. If he bit her, she'd turn into a monster too and she couldn't let that happen, she wouldn't.

She tried to grab for her gun again, but it was just out of reach. Then she thought she heard someone shout, but she wasn't sure, with all the snarling and growling it was difficult to tell, and she was too busy trying to keep the werewolf from biting her to look around. But then the werewolf stopped his attack for a moment, looking away. That was when she heard two gunshots in rapid succession and the werewolf fell backwards, unmoving.

Jessie was breathing heavily as she tried to get to her feet. She was in a great deal of pain, only managing to sit up, feeling slightly dizzy. She reached for her gun as she saw two figures approaching in the dark.

"Are you okay?" asked the tallest of the two men, who squatted down beside her.

She glared at the other man, who was slightly shorter and had lighter hair, the man she'd accidentally bumped into at the diner that morning. He was looking kind of smug, which upset her.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" she asked angrily.

"We just saved your life," he replied incredulously.

"I didn't ask for your help," she said irritably, brushing the other man's arm away who'd been trying to help her. She managed to get to her feet on her own, though she was a little unstable.

"That doesn't change the fact that we did."

She glared at him for a few more moments, then put her gun away. "Since you killed him, you deal with the body," she replied, then began walking towards her car.

She heard one of the men yell, "Wait," but she was angry, upset and in a lot of pain, so she ignored him and continued to walk to her car. She had her keys out, trying to open her car door, when she got dizzy again, only this time she fainted.

**A/N: Much longer chapter. Hope you like it. Wouldn't mind a review of so far. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jessie opened her eyes slowly, trying to focus them. She was in pain and had no idea where she was, until her eyes finally focused, then she realized she was in her motel room, only she was unsure how she made it back. She tried to sit up, groaning in pain, her arms and legs felt like they were on fire, but it hurt too much to move. But then she heard something that made her jump, someone was in the room with her.

Her eyes opened wide with terror as she heard someone approach her bed, her heart racing wildly, but she calmed herself down slightly as she saw who it was, she needed to keep her head.

"How are you feeling?" the tall man asked her with concern.

"Who are you? How did I get here?"

He smiled kindly, handing her a glass of water. "My name's Sam Winchester and the other man is my brother, Dean."

She drank from the glass slowly, taking small sips. "You didn't answer my other question. How did I get here?"

"We saw you fall by your car. We couldn't just leave you there."

"You couldn't?" she replied with a strange grin. "Even after I was such a bitch?"

He laughed once. "My brother wanted me to leave you, but I couldn't."

She began to feel a little guilty for being such a bitch to them.

"But how did you know where I was staying?"

"There was a motel receipt in your car."

"Oh my god, my car!" she exclaimed. "Tell me you didn't just leave her there."

He laughed once again, then smiled, though inside, he was rolling his eyes. "I brought your car here. I didn't think we should leave any evidence you were there."

Now she understood. They were worried. They wanted her to keep her mouth shut about their involvement. "Good. I would've been severely pissed if you'd left her there." She paused for a moment, then smiled lightly. "Thank you, Sam. I guess I owe you."

"You owe _us_ huge," Dean replied as he walked in the door.

Jessie struggled in the bed, trying once again to sit up, finally managing to with the help of Sam.

"I appreciate your help," she said, narrowing her eyes at Dean. "But I can take care of myself now, if you want to leave."

Dean laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, it looks like you can take care of yourself alright."

She ignored his comment, instead checking out her wounds. The scratch on her arm she'd gotten the night before last was inflamed again and there were a few new ones. Her other arm only had some minor scratches, barely deep enough to have bled. Her chest had a deep gash, as well as a couple on one leg, and some smaller ones on the opposite leg. Most of them were superficial, but they still hurt.

"We'll stay for a day or two, if you want us to," Sam said smiling kindly.

"I don't know," she replied distracted. "I don't really trust other hunters."

"I told you, Sam," his brother said irritated. "She doesn't need our help. Let's just get out of here."

She pulled the covers off of herself, noticing she was still fully dressed, though her clothing had been cut up so her wounds could be cleaned. She gazed at Sam, looking curiously. "Are you worried I've been bitten?"

Sam looked a little guilty, but didn't reply to her question, instead Dean did.

"Yeah, actually we were. You know what needs to happen if you have been."

"And here I thought you might have actually cared what happened to me," she replied irritated.

He glared at her, but decided to say nothing. He wasn't in the mood to argue.

She swung her legs off the side of the bed, putting a little weight on them. It seemed okay, so she tried to stand up, pain shooting up her legs, but she was able to stand. She took a few steps, managing to stay upright, though she was hurting, but it wasn't so much that she couldn't handle it. This wasn't the first time she'd been injured on the job.

Sam stood up, looking uneasy. He didn't want Jessie to fall over, but he didn't want to seem like he was hovering either, she didn't seem like the kind of person who accepted help so easily. He watched her as she grabbed some clothing from her dufflebag, then walked to the bathroom.

"I'm having a shower," she announced, slamming the door behind her.

"Well isn't she a friendly one," Dean remarked with frustration.

Sam looked at him and laughed. "She reminds me of someone I know."

"Not me," he replied, raising an eyebrow curiously.

He laughed at his brother, then joined him at the kitchen table.

"Seriously, Sam. She's nothing like me."

He laughed at his brother again. "Cause you're never bitchy or ungrateful, right?"

"Shut up, Sam."

He laughed again. "Not to mention she was more worried about her car than herself."

Dean looked at his brother, stunned for a moment. "At least she has some good sense in her head."

Sam rolled his eyes, shaking his head and grinned. "Whatever you say."

The brothers ate the breakfast Dean had gone out for, while Jessie showered. When she came out of the bathroom, she had more color to her skin and seemed to be feeling a bit better. She thanked them for breakfast, which she mostly nibbled at, then grabbed her bottle of vodka and took a double shot. Both brothers were thinking the same thing, but neither felt like saying it. It was awfully early to be drinking, but they figured she was in pain, so they didn't say anything. It wasn't really any of their business.

Jessie found her car keys lying on the nightstand and picked them up. She walked to the door, expecting one of the brothers to ask where she was going, but neither did. She was glad, it really was none of their business. She understood why they had to hang around, she didn't blame them, but she didn't have to like it.

She walked to her car, circling all the way around it, checking for scratches. She was relieved to find none. She unlocked her door, retrieved her laptop, then locked it up tightly again. She stopped for a moment, her hand on the top of her car, then walked back into the motel room.

She noticed Dean was staring at her when she walked in, with a look she couldn't decipher. She was going to say something, but she wasn't in the mood. Instead she took her laptop to the bed, climbed in and began to surf the net, looking for information on her next job.

It was quiet for a long time, Dean had a short nap while Sam was on his laptop, then Sam took a nap while Dean watched TV, Jessie was on her computer the entire time. She was researching, as well as checking her email and she even played a few games of online poker when she got bored.

It was nearly dark when Sam finally woke up from his nap. He was hungry, asking Dean if he would go get something for them to eat, but Jessie wanted to go out, so she argued with them, eventually losing the argument. It was almost dark, they didn't want her to leave and she understood why, but she didn't have to be happy about it.

Jessie spoke very little as they all sat at the table eating some chinese take out. Dean wasn't happy, he'd wanted a burger, but she refused to eat anything but chinese food. She was used to getting her own way since she was always alone and never had to worry about anyone else.

"I'm really sorry we got in the middle of your hunt," Sam said to Jessie out of the blue. "If we'd known someone else was already hunting that werewolf, we would've stayed out of it."

"I'm over it," she replied shortly.

"Really?" Dean said with surprise. "You seemed pretty pissed about it last night."

"Dean!" his brother said narrowing his eyes.

"You're right, Dean," she said glaring at him. "I was pissed and still am. I spent months hunting this bastard down and...nevermind."

"And what?"

"It's personal. End of discussion."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Sam asked concerned.

She saw genuine concern in his eyes and something inside her wanted to talk, but that was also the part of her that she'd kept locked up for years. For the most part, she didn't ever get close to anyone, or let anyone in, that was how she'd survived for so long.

"We all have our personal reasons, Sam. Just let it go."

He looked at her sadly. "We may have to...kill you tonight. Wouldn't you like to get things off your chest?"

"I told you he didn't bite me!" she snapped. "But whatever. If you want to waste your time here with me, waiting for something that's not going to happen than fine."

"You know we have time," Dean chimed in. "It's not like we're enjoying this."

"But listening to my life story would be enjoyable?" she asked sarcastically.

He was about to open his mouth to retort, but her phone rang interrupting his thought. She immediately grabbed it from her pants pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" she answered, walking to the other side of the room. "Yeah, I'm fine Bobby. Why do you ask?"

Dean looked at his brother with surprise. "Do you think she means our Bobby?" he asked quietly.

Sam gave him a look that told him to hush.

"You sent them?" she asked angrily. "Why would you do that? You know this was personal."

The brothers looked at each other in shock. They knew it was Bobby Singer she was talking to, he'd been the one who'd sent them here to hunt the werewolf in the first place, now they understood why.

"I don't care what you promised him, Bobby, I told you I didn't need any help." She glanced at the brothers angrily as she said this, then chucked her phone at them. "You explain what's going on, I'm not in the mood to speak to him anymore."

Dean caught the phone, and proceeded to speak to Bobby, while she ran into the bathroom.

Jessie closed the door behind herself, then sat down on the toilet lid. She was trying very hard not to cry because she hated to cry, it made her feel weak and vulnerable, and she hated feeling that way. She didn't blame Bobby, even though she was angry with him for interfering, and she didn't blame the Winchester brothers, even though she was annoyed by them, she blamed herself. She'd let her personal feelings get too involved with her hunting and she'd nearly died because of it.

She stayed in the bathroom for a short time just thinking, all alone with her thoughts. She fought back tears she'd been wanting to shed for a long time, but they finally overpowered her, a few tears gently falling from her eyes. It had been a long time since she'd cried, even a little, refusing to give in to her sadness and despair, instead mainly subsisting on her anger, rage and resentment. It kept her lonely, but that seemed better to her than feeling vulnerable.

She was about to get up, when there was a soft knock at the door and a gentle call. "Hey."

She stood up, opening the door and peered out. It was Sam. "What?"

"I thought you might want your phone back," he replied, holding it out for her.

She took it from his hand, smiling very lightly. "Thank you."

He gave her a warm smile, then turned and walked away.

She glanced in the mirror to see if her face was okay, which it was, so she walked back out into the room, sitting down on one end of the couch. Dean was on the other end of the couch watching TV, while Sam was at the table on his laptop. She ignored them both for a few minutes, looking past the TV, because she wasn't interested in what was on, then out of the blue she turned to Dean, looking at him questioningly.

"So, what did Bobby have to say?"

He returned her look with surprise. "He apologized for not telling us we were here to help you. Why do you suppose that is?"

"Because he knew if I'd found out he'd asked someone to help me I'd throttle him."

He glanced at her curiously for a moment, trying to figure out if he should bother asking her anything else. He was tired of her attitude.

"How long have you known, Bobby?"

She studied his face for a moment before answering. "Just over eight years, though I met him a few times before that when I was young. He was a good friend of my grandfather's."

"If you've known Bobby for so long, why is it we're only meeting now?"

She laughed, grinning sarcastically. "If it's any consolation, I've heard of you and Sam. I even met your dad once."

"You did?"

"Actually, he saved my life." She stopped for a moment, reflecting on the past, then frowned. "I don't feel like talking anymore."

"Why not?" he asked curiously. "I'd love to hear a story about my father."

"Leave it alone!" she snapped, glaring angrily.

"Dean," Sam called.

"Fine!" he said, storming out of the motel room.

Sam walked over to the couch and sat down in the spot Dean had just vacated, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry, Jessie. He means well, but he's not always, uh, intuitive."

"It's okay," she said shaking her head. "I should be the one apologizing. I'm not used to, uh, conversing with people about myself."

"I know this whole situation is a little awkward for all of us."

"Yeah," she said distracted. "Maybe I should go apologize to your brother."

He laughed once. "Dean will be okay. He's got tough skin."

She smiled slightly. "I would feel better if I did," she said and stood up. "I might be a bitch, but I have better manners than that."

Sam smiled in amusement as he watched her walk out of the motel room. He wished he could see his brother's face about now.

Jessie stepped out into the cool, dark, evening, taking a deep breath of fresh air. She glanced around looking for Dean, who was leaning up against a black, 1967 Chevy Impala. She approached him slowly, noisily, not wanting to startle him.

Dean turned around when he heard someone approaching. He rolled his eyes in annoyance when he saw who it was.

"What do you want?"

She ignored his tone of voice, staring wonderously at the car. "Is she yours?"

He raised his eyebrow in surprise. "The car? Yeah."

She was grinning widely from ear to ear. "My grandfather had a 1969 Impala, but I always thought the '67 was a much better car."

"You know about cars?" he asked with shock.

"Don't tell me you're one of those guys who think all women are useless with cars?" she asked insulted.

"Of course not. I'm just surprised."

She eyed him suspiciously, not really believing him, but she didn't want to start a fight with him. She walked around the car, staring at it in awe. She was delighted to see a such a stunningly beautiful car in such good shape. She thought he was kind of a jerk, but at least he took care of his car. It made her respect him just slightly.

"I would love to take a ride in your car one day, if I wasn't worried mine would get jealous," she said jokingly.

He smiled. "If you want a ride, all you have to do is ask."

She stood pensive for a moment, then grinned. "I might just take you up on your offer some day."

"Some day, huh?"

She knew he was joking, but it brought her back to reality. She didn't want to drop her guard or get close to anyone, and she was close to that now. Her smile left her face as she looked at Dean seriously.

"I got distracted by your car," she explained. "What I came out here to do was apologize. So...I'm sorry."

"What exactly are you apologizing for?"

She averted his eyes, frowning. "For being so ungrateful. You and your brother saved my ass, but all I could see was my chance for vengeance was ruined. I...nevermind. I think I better go inside."

She turned to leave, but Dean grabbed her by the wrist, spinning her back around. "How long have you been hunting?"

"Why?" she asked irritated, trying to pull her hand from his grasp.

"This job can be pretty lonely. It must be difficult when you have no one to talk to."

She narrowed her eyes at him, forgetting he still had her by the wrist. "Was that a lame attempt at a pick up line?"

He snorted. "Sorry, my brother is usually the sensitive, listening type."

She smiled hesitantly. "You did okay."

He grinned for a moment, releasing her hand. "I think we should get back inside before Sam begins to worry."

"About you?" she teased.

"He knows I can handle myself," he said grinning.

"Really?" she asked, walking closer to him. "You think so, do you?"

"I know so."

She grinned, then reached out to grab his arm. He countered, trying to grab her other arm, but she'd expected that, moving away. After many attempts, she managed to grab his arms and twist them behind his back, pushing him up against his car.

"Told ya," she said laughing.

He waited until she released her grip, turning to walk away, before he made his move. He turned, grabbed a hold of her, spinning her around and pushing her up against the car. He stopped suddenly, his face only inches from hers, grinning wildly.

Jessie wasn't sure what made her do it, but she leaned closer and began to kiss him. It was a passionate, wild kiss, both of their hands were all over each other. But it only lasted a minute, before she pushed him away, feeling vulnerable.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I shouldn't have done that," she said breathlessly.

"I'm not really sorry," he said grinning wildly.

She sighed, shaking her head, then looked away. She stood there for a moment longer, then ran around him, entering the motel room, slamming the door behind her, startling Sam.

Dean watched her for a moment with confusion, shrugging his shoulders before slowly walking back into the motel room.

**A/N: Are you enjoying the story so far? I hope so! **

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Dean walked back into the motel room, he glanced around the room, wondering where Jessie was. He found her lying in the bed, covered up, facing away from the rest of the room. He sighed in frustration, sitting down on the couch beside his brother.

"What did you do?" Sam asked his brother quietly.

"Why do you think I did something?" he asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Because you have a way of upsetting people."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't think it takes much to upset that woman."

"She's a hunter, Dean. We don't know what she's been through."

"Whatever," he said dismissively. "If you don't mind, can you take first watch?"

Sam nodded, getting up from the couch with his laptop, moving over to the table. He watched as Dean stretched out on the couch, closed his eyes, trying to sleep. He wasn't sure what had happened outside between the two of them, but he was slightly concerned. He decided not to worry about it for the moment, and went back to his research.

It was almost an hour later when Jessie got out of the bed, walking over to the table, sitting down beside Sam. She grabbed her bottle of vodka, taking a long swig, then set it down on the table in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Sam," she said, obviously exhausted. "I'm really not used to being around other people, not for more than a few minutes at a time."

He glanced at her sadly. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but, how long have you been a hunter?"

"Just over eight years now," she replied, taking a sip from her bottle. "It wasn't my first choice of lifestyle, that's for sure."

"If you want to talk, I'm here. I won't judge you."

She wasn't sure why, but he seemed very kind, genuine, and easy to talk to. Other than Bobby, no living person knew her entire life story. But after all she'd been through the past few months and all her doubts, she felt like talking.

"Eight years ago, I was in university, majoring in computer technology. One day out of the blue, I got a phone call from my grandfather asking me to come home. I was lucky enough to only be an hour away from his house, so I left immediately." She stopped, taking another drink. "When I got there, he was injured. That was when he told me all about hunting. I didn't believe him at first, but he convinced me eventually, explained that was why he'd taught me how to hunt animals and survival skills. It was his way of teaching me to take care of myself, but not tell me about monsters and demons. He didn't want this life for me." She stopped to take another drink, a lone tear fell from her eye, completely unnoticed by her, but Sam didn't miss it.

"He went on to tell me about my parents, the real reason they died was because they were killed by something they were hunting. They were hunters too. It was your dad, John Winchester, who saved me that day. He brought me to my grandparent's house, and they raised me, until my grandmother died a few years later. After that it was only my grandfather and I."

"How old were you?"

She took another drink before answering. "I was about ten. I don't really remember much. I guess I was too scared to remember." She stopped for a moment, looking at Sam sadly. "I really hate them, for doing this to me. They left me, all because they had to hunt. Why wasn't it enough they had me? Why?"

Sam put his arm around her supportively. "Maybe you should get some rest, Jessie."

She stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment. "They quit hunting when they had kids, until my older sister was killed by a werewolf. Then I didn't matter to them anymore. All they cared about was revenge."

"Jessie," he called gently.

"Don't you see, Sam? That's all I've been living for eight years now, revenge. I have no family, no friends, nothing. All I had was revenge and now that's over. What am I supposed to do now?"

She'd become nearly hysterical, tears flowing heavily, when Sam nearly picked her up, supporting her until she made it into the bed, then covered her up. She sobbed quietly for a few minutes before she became silent, falling asleep.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief when she finally became quiet. He felt really bad for her and hoped that a good night's sleep would help, if she didn't happen to change into a werewolf.

He sat back at the table and was about to do some research on her family, but he decided on the next best thing, Bobby. Even though it was getting late, he figured he would still be awake.

"Bobby."

"Sam? Is something wrong?" Bobby asked with concern.

"No, not exactly. I was hoping you could tell me more about Jessie Drake."

"Look, Sam. She's a very private person. She'd be pissed if I told you anything."

"She just got really drunk and started telling me about her life. I just want to know more."

Bobby paused for a moment, sighing deeply. "She comes from a long line of hunters, probably one of the oldest hunting families around. Her grandfather quit hunting when he became older, handing over the reigns, so to speak, to his son, which was Jessie's father. He met another hunter, got married and had two beautiful girls. They quit hunting after their first child was born, even though several hunters, including your own father, tried talking them in to coming back to it. Then one day, a werewolf attacked their oldest daughter and that was when they went back to hunting. It was the same werewolf who ended up killing them not more than six months after that."

"Jessie told me our dad saved her. How did that happen?"

"He was helping her parent's track the werewolf. He just happened to be going to visit them the night they were attacked. He was able to save Jessie, but not her parents."

"What happened to her grandfather?"

"He was attacked by the same werewolf that killed Jessie's parents. He'd made the mistake of trying to track him, but he was getting on in years and, well, he wasn't as quick as he used to be."

"Is that the same werewolf we killed last night?"

"No, she finally killed that one a few months ago. The one from last night was the last surviving werewolf he'd turned."

"Wait a sec, Bobby. She told me her grandfather was attacked, but he managed to call her and explain what happened. How is that possible?"

"I don't think I should tell you that."

"Bobby, please."

He sighed. "He was bitten, but not killed. He turned into a werewolf that night and...Jessie had to kill him."

"She killed him?"

"What would you have done, Sam? He was a werewolf. She had to kill him."

Sam was quiet for a few moments. "Why is it we've never met her before, Bobby?"

"She hunts alone. She doesn't trust anyone. Hell, she barely trusts me."

"I hope for her sake she wasn't bitten by that werewolf, Bobby."

"Me too, Sam."

"Thanks, Bobby."

"Sure. Be good to her, Sam. She deserves a break. And tell your brother to behave."

After Sam was finished with the call, he glanced over at Jessie, who was sleeping soundly. He felt bad for her, hoping she would feel better when she woke up, though he really doubted it. He knew what it was like to lose just about everyone he ever cared about, but he wasn't alone, he still had his brother. He couldn't imagine what life would've been like if he'd spent the last few years hunting alone.

He went back to researching, looking for something new to hunt. He couldn't imagine Dean would want to stay here very long and he doubted Jessie would want them to stick around either. But he couldn't keep his mind on research, instead he kept thinking about her. He was glad when Dean finally woke up.

"Where's the beer, Sam?" Dean asked looking in the fridge. "I thought you got some earlier."

"No, I didn't, Dean. I thought you were going to."

"Damn it!" he said, looking around. "Do you think she'll mind if I drink some of her whiskey? She doesn't seem to be drinking it."

"I don't know," he replied absentmindedly.

"What's gotten in to you, Sam?"

"Huh?"

"What happened while I was sleeping?" he asked, pouring himself a drink.

"I'm tired, Dean."

He looked at his brother strangely. "Did something happen?"

He thought about telling him about Jessie, but he changed his mind. He figured he should sleep on it, before making a decision. He could always tell him later.

"I'm going to sleep, Dean," he replied, cutting him short.

Dean was left wondering what had happened while he was sleeping.

**A/N: I know, short chapter, but sometimes it just ends up fitting that way. Btw, I hate to ask, but I'd appreciate at least one review to see how I'm doing. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jessie woke up the next morning feeling nauseous. She didn't fully remember everything that had happened the night before, but it was coming back to her in pieces. She groaned internally when she remembered kissing Dean. Then she remembered she wasn't alone in the room, so she stayed quiet, listening. All she could hear was the shuffling of paper, so she eased herself up in the bed, looking around.

Sam was sitting at the table reading a newspaper, while Dean was sitting on the couch cleaning his gun. She figured everything had gone fine during the night since she was still living, so she climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom.

When she came out of the bathroom, she searched through her dufflebag, finding her bottle of aspirin, she had a headache. She grabbed herself a glass of water, took the aspirin, then sat at the table with Sam.

"Good morning, Jessie," he said with a smile, setting down the newspaper. "How are you feeling?"

"I drank entirely too much last night," she replied softly. "You don't happen to have any coffee, do you?"

"No, but I'm sure Dean wouldn't mind getting you some."

"What?" Dean asked, pretending he hadn't heard his brother.

"Would you mind getting some coffee for Jessie?"

"It's okay, Sam. He doesn't need to bother. I'm fine."

He turned to his brother, looking very insistent.

"How do you like your coffee?" he asked with fake sincerity.

"Sugar and cream," she replied with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Dean."

He stood up, glaring at his brother lightly, then left the motel room.

"I guess I wasn't bitten after all," she remarked after he left.

"No, apparently not," he answered awkwardly.

"What's going on, Sam?" she asked frustrated. "I know I got drunk last night. What did I do?"

He avoided her gaze for a moment, trying to decide whether he should tell her. After a moment he decided it would be better to come clean, in case she remembered what happened at some later date.

"You were telling me about your life."

"What?" she yelled in surprise. "What did I say?"

"Don't you remember any of our conversation?"

"I told you how long I've been hunting, and I told you about my grandfather...but everything else is a blur."

Sam looked at Jessie awkwardly, making her suspicious and vulnerable.

"What did I tell you, Sam?" she begged.

He tried looking at her understandingly, trying to calm her down. But the longer he took to tell her, the more upset she became. He decided to try a different approach.

"Does it really matter, Jessie?" he asked with a hard look. "You've made it pretty clear you prefer to be alone. We can all just go our separate ways and forget any of this happened."

She stared at him for a moment, studying his face, thinking about what he'd said. It made complete sense to her, but at the same time, there was a part of her that almost felt relieved that she'd opened up to someone, almost.

"You're right, Sam. It doesn't matter, does it?"

He didn't reply to her, not knowing exactly what to say. It was an awkward moment, but only lasted a minute, before Dean walked in.

Dean placed the coffee in front of Jessie, looking at his brother curiously. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No, you didn't," Jessie replied shortly. "Thanks for the coffee."

Dean watched her curiously as she took her coffee, grabbed her dufflebag taking it to the bed. She placed the coffee on the side table, while she rooted around in her bag.

"What's going on, Sam?" he whispered.

He shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, picking up the newspaper and began to look through it.

Dean sighed, walking over to the couch and turned the TV on. He was determined to stay out of whatever was going on.

Jessie pulled out some cash from her dufflebag, stuffing it in her pocket, then picked up her coffee. She walked to the door, pausing for a moment, then walked out with no explanation. She went to the motel office, paying for another day, since she knew they wouldn't be out by noon, then walked to her car.

A couple of days ago I could have jumped in this car and drove anywhere, nothing to worry about but myself, but now I feel lost and have no idea where to go, she thought to herself. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice when someone walked up behind her, until they placed their hand on her shoulder, and she turned around in surprise.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Dean said.

"What do you want, Dean?" she asked irritated.

"What's going on between you and my brother?"

"Nothing. Why? Are you jealous?"

"Jealous of what?"

She rolled her eyes, walking around him and back into the motel room. She began to gather everything in the room that belonged to her, furiously stuffing it all into her dufflebag, while Sam watched. Moments later he was joined at the table by Dean, who was watching her as well.

Once she was satisfied she had everything of hers, she walked to the door, then turned to the brothers.

"Thank you both for your help, I really appreciate it. The room is paid up until tomorrow at noon, feel free to stay until then."

"Jessie..."

"Bye, Sam," she interrupted, quickly leaving the motel room.

She hurriedly packed her dufflebag into her car and drove away from the motel, never once looking in her rear view mirror until she was positive she couldn't see anything but the road and the cars behind her. She wasn't sure where she was going, but anywhere was better than here.

She drove for a few hours before she became sore and stiff, her injuries were still on the mend but they weren't quite healed yet. She stopped at the first motel she came across, checking in for the night. It wasn't the cleanest, but she wasn't picky, not today. She just needed to lay down and rest.

She was getting ready to lay down, when she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She'd forgotten to turn it back on, she'd turned it off after leaving the motel earlier. She hesitated, wondering if she should even bother, very few people ever called her and even fewer of them she wanted to hear from, especially right now. But after some careful consideration, she decided she'd better turn it on, just in case.

There were several voice messages, all from Bobby, except for one, she wasn't sure whose number it was, but she assumed it was one of the Winchester brothers. She listened to the messages, the unknown one was from Sam, apologizing for upsetting her. It didn't matter, she was going to make sure she didn't see him again. She did decide to call Bobby though, he sounded worried and she didn't want him to send someone looking for her.

"Hey, Bobby."

"Jessie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Bobby. Why?"

"You weren't answering your phone. I thought something was wrong."

"You should know better than to worry about me."

"But I do, Jess. Your grandfather made me promise to look out for you."

"And you're a sweet man for worrying about me. But I'm a grown woman. I can look after myself."

"You might be grown, but you still need someone to look out for you."

"And you do, Bobby."

"But I'm not going to be around forever."

"None of us will."

"Do me a favor. Please."

"What?"

"Promise me you'll stop by the house. I haven't laid eyes on you in so long."

She was quiet for a moment, contemplating.

"Jess?"

"Fine. If I leave early enough tomorrow I should be there by dinner. I hope you're cooking."

He laughed. "How about a barbecue?"

"As long as you're not going to make me cook this time," she laughed.

"Would I do that?" he teased.

"See ya tomorrow, Bobby."

"Drive safe."

Jessie debated whether she should return Sam's call, but finally settled on no. She figured it would be better to cut the ties cleanly, leaving no doubt where she stood. She wasn't really upset with him, she was more upset with herself. She had no idea what made herself open up to him like she had, but she didn't like it. Especially since she had no idea what she'd told him. With all the doubt she'd already been having the past few months, it wasn't the best time for this to happen.

Once she was sick of thinking, she took a couple of aspirin, had a shot of vodka, and laid down to sleep, hoping she would feel more optimistic in the morning.

**A/N: I know, another short chapter. I promise they'll get longer...and a little more action packed lol. A review would be much appreciated.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jessie woke up early the next morning stiff and sore. She'd ripped open one of the cuts on her left arm while she was sleeping, which now looked infected. She climbed out of bed, immediately grabbing the medical kit from her dufflebag and went into the bathroom, having a shower before she checked the rest of her wounds.

Upon closer inspection of her arm wound, it looked even worse than she'd originally thought. She knew she should probably see a doctor, but she didn't have time for that, or the desire. She'd promised to visit Bobby, and she wasn't going to break her promise.

It wasn't the first time she had to perform minor surgery on herself, but it wasn't one of those things she particularly enjoyed. She cut away some of the infected skin, cleaned it with vodka, then stitched it up, hoping this time it would heal properly. She wasn't pleased with how it looked, she knew it was going to leave an ugly scar, but she didn't really care. She had no one to impress but herself. She bandaged it up, before changing into her last set of clean clothes.

She decided to head to the nearest laundromat before she had breakfast, she was in a hurry to get out on the road, so she got her clothes washed while she ate, then returned to dry her clothing while she had coffee. She could have waited until she arrived at Bobby's house, but she hated to impose on him anymore than she already did, even though he never seemed to mind.

She stopped a few places before she went back out on the road, heading for Bobby's house. The closer she got to his house, the more anxious she became. She knew he was going to want to talk, and she wasn't really in the mood. She figured if she could handle herself against werewolves, speaking to Bobby should be easy, but it never was.

She arrived at his house a little earlier than she'd thought she'd make it, it was only midafternoon. He hadn't been expecting her so early. She waited impatiently at the front door for him to answer.

"You're early," he stated when he opened the door. "Dinner isn't ready yet."

She laughed lightly, hugging him awkwardly. "Nice to see you too, Bobby."

He smiled brightly, happy to see she wasn't in a bad mood. He led her to the kitchen table, where he offered her a shot glass.

"Do we really have to do this _every_ time?" she asked exasperatedly. "I've never been possessed."

"There's a first time for everything."

She sighed, drinking the shot glass full of holy water, rolling her eyes teasingly. "Happy?"

He smiled, shaking his head. "What would you like to drink?"

"Just soda for now," she replied, then smiled. "Though I reserve the right to something stronger later."

He smiled, retrieving a soda from the fridge, handing it to her, then patted her on the shoulder. She flinched as he nearly hit the wound she'd only tried to fix up earlier that morning.

"What's wrong with your arm?" he asked with concern.

"It's nothing to worry about, Bobby."

He eyed her suspiciously. "I just opened it up again, that's why it hurts. It'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

"Positive," she said reassuringly.

They sat down at the kitchen table, Jessie with her soda and Bobbie with some whiskey, and began to talk about superficial things. Bobby wanted to bring up something more important, but he didn't know exactly what to say to her, knowing she was difficult on the best of days. But he had to suck it up and deal if he was going to be able to help her. "Have you decided what you're going to hunt next?"

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion for a moment. "Not sure yet. Have you heard news of any other werewolves around?"

"You know I haven't, Jess. I think you've hunted every last one of them in this country."

"Then maybe I need to check Canada, or Mexico," she said jokingly.

He smiled, but it was only to hide his worry. "Don't be such a worrywart, Bobby. I've hunted other things."

He wanted to be harsh with her, sometimes it was the only way to get her to listen, but he knew if he did she would just leave, and he couldn't let her leave just yet.

"Why don't you just quit hunting? You've done what you set out to do, erradicating the werewolves that killed your family...and pretty much every other werewolf in existence."

"What should I do, Bobby? Go back to my old life? The damn werewolves destroyed that! My sister, my parents, my grandfather and...my boyfriend. Everything I had, including my education. What do I go back to?" She tried her best to keep herself from being so emotional, but it wasn't so easy.

He looked at her sadly. "You're still young. You could go back to school. Graduate. Do something meaningful with your life."

"Meaningful? Are you kidding?" she spat. "I've saved lives hunting. What could I do in front of a computer that's more meaningful than that?"

"You could live, Jess. The way you're going now, you're going to hunt yourself to an early grave."

"I'm sorry, Bobby. It's my life."

"Your grandfather wouldn't have wanted this for you. He would've wanted you to finish school, get married, have some children."

"Then it's a good thing he's not here," she said glaring. "Marriage. Children. Those are things for other people, not me. I don't need, or want, a man."

"I see the loneliness in your eyes, darling."

"Is this why you asked me here today, Bobby? To try and convince me to quit hunting. Meet a man. Get a life."

"Partially. I worry about you hunting alone. If only you'd find someone, like your mom and dad did. Then I know I'd done what your grandfather asked of me."

"Oh, I see. You want to be rid of the burden of worrying about me, is that it?" she asked angrily. "I can take care of that easily enough."

"Dammit, Jess! That's not what I mean at all and you know it. I care about you, almost like my own daughter. I just want you to be happy."

She snorted in disbelief. "Happy? Seriously? Happiness is what people believe in so they can wake up in the morning. It's not real, it's an illusion."

"Is that really what you believe?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's the truth," she announced with finality.

He shook his head in disappointment, finding it difficult to listen to. He was disappointed, but not with her, with himself. He'd obviously failed her and he felt badly. He wasn't even sure if there was anything he could do to help her now. And if there was, he had no idea what that could be. It broke his heart. "Are you going to help with dinner?" he asked, changing the subject quickly.

"What do you need help with?"

"I was hoping you'd make your famous potato salad."

"Oh, so that's why you asked me here, huh?" she teased.

"You've figured me out," he replied with a smile.

"As long as you have everything I need," she said, while rooting through the fridge.

He grinned, even though he was anything but happy. But as long as she seemed to be in a good mood, he wanted her that way. He knew that was going to change very soon.

Jessie spent the next part of the afternoon making potato salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw, cutting up some onions, tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as shucking a few ears of corn. She wasn't sure why she was making so much food, but she didn't ask. She just figured he wanted leftovers to eat for the next few days. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done that for him and she really didn't mind. He'd done a lot to help her out over the years, it was the least she could do to make sure he took care of himself. She worried about him sometimes too, though she would never tell him that.

She was cleaning up the kitchen, when she thought she heard something, a rumbling, almost like thunder. As the sound became louder, closer to the house, she knew exactly what it was, something she couldn't mistake, and she wasn't pleased.

"Bobby!" she yelled, running into the livingroom. "What the hell did you do?"

"What?" he asked playing dumb.

"Did you ask the Winchesters over for dinner too?" she asked irritated, her hands on her hips.

"No, I didn't ask them to come over."

She eyed him suspiciously. She knew he was hiding something. "But you knew they were coming, didn't you?"

He tried to seem innocent. "I might've known they were stopping by."

"Dammit, Bobby," she said and sighed.

"Will you just do this one thing for me, please?"

She sighed, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly. "Fine. Just stop begging. I hate to see a grown man beg."

"Ha, ha," he laughed teasingly.

She rolled her eyes and walked back into the kitchen, continuing to clean up. She'd already cleaned the mess up she'd made during the day, but the kitchen looked like it hadn't been cleaned in awhile. It wasn't filthy, but it wasn't clean. Not to mention there were some dirty dishes that looked like they'd been there a few days.

She was busily scrubbing the counters when she heard footfalls behind her. She resisted the urge to turn and see who it was, instead, she continued to clean the counters, ignoring whoever it was.

"Something smells delicious in here," Dean remarked.

Jessie stood still a moment, trying to take it as a compliment, even though she was extremely irritated by his presence. She turned around, gazing at his smiling face, having a hard time keeping her tough resolve.

"Thank you."

"You mean you cooked?"

"I'm a woman aren't I? We all know how to cook, right?" she asked sarcastically.

He looked at her uncomfortably. "That's not what I meant."

She grinned, enjoying his discomfort. "I know."

He rolled his eyes and chuckled, then picked up a cloth and began helping to clean the other counter.

They were both silent for a few minutes, neither having any idea what to say to the other. But Dean didn't like the awkward silence.

"Hey, I got a question for ya." Jessie stopped cleaning, turning to face Dean curiously.

"I asked you a question the other day and you never answered it."

"What's that?"

"How is it you've known Bobby for so long yet we've never met?"

She sighed, thinking about the answer to that. "I don't actually visit Bobby that often. This is the first time I've been here in probably a year."

"Where were you when he needed you?"

"Excuse me? Where do you get off?"

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

She glared at him angrily. "I was in jail."

"In jail?" he snorted.

"Yes."

He was grinning comically.

"You think it's funny?"

Bobby walked in, followed by Sam,

"Dean," Bobby called.

"No, it's okay, Bobby," she said, staring at Dean. "I was in jail for gun possession and assaulting an officer. I was on a hunt, some guy saw me with a gun and called the cops. They'd sent two male officers and they tried to frisk me when they caught me. When one of them touched me where they weren't supposed to, I beat the hell out of him. It took the other officer and some back up to get me into cuffs. I spent a year in jail for that."

Dean felt ashamed, so he didn't say anything else. Normally he would have replied with something sarcastic, but he couldn't think of anything for a change.

"That must've been awful," Sam said.

She turned to Sam and smiled. "Nah, wasn't too bad. It's not like men's prison. I didn't have to worry about dropping the soap in the shower," she said, laughing heartily.

The three men in the room laughed uncomfortably, making her laugh a little harder before she stopped.

"So, Bobby," she said grinning. "You gonna cook or what?"

"Yeah, yeah, hold your horses," he replied, going to the fridge.

"What are we having anyway?" Dean asked.

"Burgers," Bobby replied, carrying a tray of hambuger patties. "Jessie made coleslaw, potato and macaroni salad and we have some corn too."

"I can't wait. I'm starving."

"You're always starving, Dean," Sam replied.

Bobby left outside to cook, while Jessie began to take the salads out of the fridge and place them on the freshly cleaned table. Sam followed behind her asking if he could help, so she began passing the salads, veggies and the condiments to him. Once all of it was on the table, she was going to get the plates, when she saw Dean nosing around the salads.

"Get out of those, Dean!" she warned.

"But I just want a taste," he whined.

"You can wait until we all sit down, or I'm gonna kick your ass."

Sam laughed, while Dean stared her down for a few moments, before he gave in. "Fine."

She turned away to fetch the plates, grinning. She was enjoying herself with other people for the first time in a very long time. It made her want to stop herself, but she figured it couldn't hurt to relax and enjoy herself for one day.

After she set the table, she went outside to check on the burgers. It wasn't because she was hungry, impatient or even picky, she just wanted to tease Bobby. It was as much for fun, as it was to get back at him for not telling her the Winchesters were going to be visiting.

When the burgers were done, the four of them sat at the table eating and talking, mostly about superficial things. Jessie enjoyed hearing about hunts that the brothers had been on, it was easy to get Dean to talk, and she was actually grateful for that. She hated awkward, and this was one of the most awkward situations she'd been involved with in a long time.

"This has got to be the best potato salad I've ever eaten, Jessie," Dean said with a mouth full of food.

Bobby and Sam laughed, while she grinned.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should because it is."

"Yeah, if anyone knows food it's Dean," Sam said chuckling.

"I've noticed that."

Bobby got up from the table and brought everyone a beer while they continued eating. They all talked, though Dean did the majority of it while Jessie did the least of it. When they were done, Jessie convinced the men to go in the livingroom while she cleaned up.

She was washing the dishes when her left arm began to ache. She didn't want to risk looking at it while someone might walk in, so she did her best to continue on with her cleaning, trying to ignore it. The dull ache soon became a painful throbbing and she was having a difficult time trying to finish the dishes. She was leaning against the counter with her head down, and her eyes closed, when someone walked up behind her, startling her.

"Jessie," Sam called, placing a gentle hand on her back. "Are you okay?"

She turned around to face him, sweat beading on her forehead. "No, I don't think so."

"What's wrong?"

She lifted up the sleeve on her left arm, pulling back the bandage from her wound. It was swollen and an angry red color. "It's infected."

He grabbed a clean cloth from one of the drawers, soaking it with cold water, then handed it to her. "Here. Put this on your forehead."

She did what she was told, feeling a slight relief from her fever, but only as long as the cloth was cool.

He helped her sit at the table, then went to ask Bobby for some assistance. When he came into the kitchen he was followed by Dean.

"You don't need to make such a big deal guys," she protested.

"You've got to be kidding," Dean said, looking at the wound. "It's seriously infected."

Bobby left the room, returning with a bottle of pills. "Take these," he said harshly, handing her two pills. "No arguing."

She sighed, took the pills, chasing them down with a swig of beer. "Happy?"

"No, I'm not. Why didn't you tell me it was this badly infected?"

"I didn't think it was."

"Come on, Jess. You know better than this. What the hell is going on with you?" he asked with frustration.

She stared blankly, not really having an answer to give. She really hadn't thought it was that bad, but she should have known better. Werewolf claws were nasty and often caused infections, though the rest of her injuries had been fine, she wondered why only the one on her left arm was infected.

Bobby handed Dean some money and a piece of paper. "Go down to the pharmacy in town, ask for Dr. Riley. Give him the paper and money and tell him I sent you. He shouldn't ask you any questions." Dean nodded. "If you have any problems, tell him to call me."

They all watched as Dean left, then Bobby turned to her seriously. "Do you like this shirt?"

"Yes," she replied with confusion.

"Then take it off or I'm gonna cut it off ya."

She glanced from Bobby, to Sam, then back to Bobby, sighed, then took off her t-shirt, she was wearing a white sports bra underneath. Both Bobby and Sam cringed, making a strange sound when they saw the wound.

"This is gonna hurt like hell, Jess."

She turned hear head the opposite way, looking at Sam, who was gazing back at her with concern. He sat beside her, taking her hand. "Squeeze it if you need to," he said warmly.

She smiled gratefully, gazing into his warm eyes that were filled with concern. His smile comforted her as Bobby began to cut the stitches she'd only put in earlier that morning.

"Son of a bitch!" she cried out, as Bobby pulled the last couple of stitches out. She'd been squeezing Sam's hand as hard as she could, but he was still smiling supportively.

"I'm afraid that was the easy part," Bobby announced. "I still need to clean it."

She cringed, knowing it was going to hurt like hell. "Distract me, please Sam," she begged, as Bobby began to clean her wound.

He smiled supportively, squeezing her hand lightly. "How long have you had that dragon tattoo on your right shoulder?" he asked.

She looked at him strangely for a moment, biting her tongue to stifle a cry. "It's not a dragon, it's actually a drake. They look similar but they're not exactly the same."

"Does it have a meaning?"

"It's a family thing. Our last name is Drake, hence the tattoo of a drake."

He wasn't sure she wanted to talk about her family, so he asked the first thing that popped into his mind. "Do you have any other tattoos?"

She winced in pain, before smiling strangely. "Yes, I have another drake tattoo, somewhere else on my body. But, probably somewhere you'll never see."

He blushed when he realized what she meant. "Oh."

She laughed, averting her eyes slightly.

"Jessie," Bobby called. She pulled her hand away from Sam, turning towards Bobby. "I've wrapped it in gauze for now. I'm gonna need to check it again tomorrow. Until the infection is gone, I don't think we should stitch it."

"Tomorrow?" she asked hesitantly.

"You're staying here tonight...And I'm not taking no for an answer."

She looked at Sam, then back to Bobby. "Fine."

Bobby gave Sam a knowing look. "Stay here, Jess. I'll be right back."

He left the room with Bobby close behind. He walked to the far end of the livingroom so he wouldn't be overheard.

"I'll need you and Dean to stay tonight as well," he explained. "I might need help with her. And you've seen how stubborn she can be on a good day."

"Sure, Bobby, whatever you need."

"Good. Go keep her company. I'm gonna go make the beds upstairs," he said, leaving quickly before he could refuse.

Sam walked back into the kitchen and noticed Jessie was trying to put her t-shirt back on, but she was having a difficult time.

"I don't think you should put that back on," he said, trying to get her untangled from the shirt. "Do you have a baggy shirt you can wear instead of this tight one?"

"Yeah, in my dufflebag," she answered, pointing across the room.

He walked over to her bag, rooted through it, pulling out a big baggy black t-shirt. He walked back to her, helping her to get the shirt on her good arm, before assisting her with her left, doing his best to get it on to her so she wouldn't have to move her arm very much.

"Thank you, Sam," she said, smiling sincerely. "You're very gentle for such a big man."

He smiled, blushing slightly. "I'm afraid your fever has gotten to you."

She laughed lightly. "I just don't have the strength to be a bitch right now I guess."

He smiled awkwardly. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Pain killers. Heavy duty ones would be nice."

"Sorry," he replied, smiling apologetically. "But I can get you a drink."

"Yes, please."

He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and a glass, placing it in front of her. He watched as she poured the glass half full, drinking half of what was in the glass. She smiled at him thankfully, but said nothing, then drank what was left.

Bobby came into the room apprehensively at first, then relaxed once he noticed Jessie seemed to be okay and no one was yelling. He was shocked and surprised but also worried. He'd never known her to be so calm, or friendly, especially when she was sick or injured. He hoped it meant she'd been thinking about what they'd discussed, but in the back of his mind he wondered if Sam had something to do with her change of attitude.

"I changed the sheets in all the bedrooms. If you feel like it, you can go lie down, Jess."

She nodded her head in agreement, she was too tired and sore to argue. "Would you help me upstairs, Sam?"

He nodded, taking her outstretched hand with his right and placed his left around her waist, lifting her gently. She leaned heavily against him as he took her up the stairs and into the first room on the right. He eased her into bed, helping her get comfortable, then covered her up in the covers carefully. He stayed for a moment, until she closed her eyes, then he began to walk out, until she called his name quietly. He turned to see her smiling gently.

"Thank you, Sam."

"You're welcome."

She closed her eyes just then and went to sleep.

**A/N: Much longer chapter, as promised. Now that they're together at Bobby's, what do you think is going to happen? Trouble, right? lol**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jessie woke up a few times during the night, crying out in pain, delirious from the fever. Bobby didn't sleep well, every noise he heard he was up and in the room checking on her, until halfway through the night when Sam promised to stay up and watch out for her so he could get some sleep.

Sam got comfortable on a chair in the room, sitting vigil the rest of the night. He began to doze off just before dawn, even though he tried his best to stay awake. Bobby came in to check on Jessie shortly after Sam fell asleep, but she seemed fine, so he left both of them alone.

Jessie woke up a few hours later, about midmorning. She was feeling damp from sweating all night and all she wanted to do was get out of bed. Her left arm was aching, but it felt a little better than it had the day before. She glanced over at Sam, smiling slightly. She knew he'd spent part of the night watching over her, she'd woke up a few times, noticing he was in the chair. She felt a little strange about it, but she decided to worry about everything later, when she was feeling better. She wasn't really up to worrying about anything at the moment.

She eased herself up in the bed slowly, being careful not to hurt her arm. She was about to set her feet on the floor, when Sam woke up suddenly, watching her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, jumping in surprise. He was barely awake.

She couldn't help but laugh at him, even though she tried not to.

"What's so funny?"

"You are, Sam," she said grinning. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, which only made her giggle.

"I'm glad you find me so amusing," he said slightly irritated.

She climbed out of bed and walked over to him, patting him on the shoulder. "More like cute and adorable."

"And now you're patronizing me."

"No good deed goes unpunished," she said and winked.

He smiled. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"A little sore, but my fever seems to be gone."

"That's good. Bobby was really worried."

"And you too?"

He averted his eyes, surprised by the question.

"It's okay, Sam. I swear I'm not going to bite your head off."

He smiled uncomfortably. "Do you need help with anything?"

She sighed. "Actually, would you get my dufflebag for me, please? I was hoping to take a shower. I feel yucky from sweating all night."

"Yucky?" he teased.

"Yeah, I said it," she smiled. "Now are you going to get my bag for me?"

"Sure."

When she got to the bathroom, she was able to take her shirt and pants off, but she was in too much pain to take off her bra and she had no idea what to do about it. She would feel very uncomfortable asking Bobby to help her, but she would feel incredibly awkward asking Sam or Dean, but what choice did she have? She sighed loudly, waiting for Sam to bring her dufflebag to the bathroom.

When he knocked on the door, she opened it a couple of inches, sticking her head out.

"Is there anything else you need?" he asked while handing her the bag.

She took the bag, looking at him awkwardly. "Uh, actually there is, but, uh..." she stammered. "I can't take my bra off."

"Oh," he said blushing. "You need help with the latches?"

"Uh, no, actually," she said uncomfortably. "It's a sports bra so it's all one piece."

"Oh. Ohhhh," he replied, looking incredibly awkward when he realized what she was asking.

"Okay, no worries, Sam. I'll get it off myself."

"No, I'll help."

She eyed him for a moment, before letting him in the door. She felt very vulnerable standing in front of him with nothing but her bra and underwear on, but it made her feel a little better that he seemed to be feeling uncomfortable as well.

He moved behind her, gently lifting the right side of her bra, while she raised her arm then pulled back, finally getting her right arm loose. It was easier to take off the left side, even though he had to be careful. Once it was off, he held on to it for a moment, before moving to place it on the counter. He accidentally brushed his hand lightly against her back as he did so, causing goosebumps to raise on her flesh. He stared at her back awkwardly for a moment, before excusing himself quickly and left the bathroom.

Jessie stood still for a moment after Sam left, thinking about his accidental touch. She didn't want to feel anything, but she did, even though she tried very hard to deny it. She really did like Sam. He was kind, generous and thoughtful, but she figured that was probably just his nature, he would do the same for anyone who needed help.

Why am I thinking about this? she thought to herself. Once I'm feeling better I'll be back on my own and so will Sam and Dean.

She shook her head a few times and sighed, then took her underwear off and climbed into the shower.

Sam went running down the stairs and into the kitchen looking flustered. He glanced quickly at Bobby, who was busy cooking bacon, then looked away. Dean was sitting at the table watching him with a grin on his face.

"What?" Sam asked defensively.

"Did she bite your head off?" he teased.

"No," he replied averting his gaze.

Dean looked curiously at his brother, smirking slightly, but didn't say anything. He was enjoying himself just watching Sam acting strangely.

Sam sat down at the kitchen table in front of his laptop, opening it up. He needed to find something to keep him distracted from his thoughts. He was still picturing Jessie standing in front of him almost fully naked, her pale skin glistening in the sunlight coming from the bathroom window. He wanted to touch her, to hold her, only not accidentally this time. He wanted to kiss her lips, run his fingers through her hair and make her feel wanted and safe again. He was so deep in thought, he didn't notice his brother calling him, until he slapped him on the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"Didn't you hear me calling you?"

"No, Dean. What do you want?" he asked irritably.

"I asked what you were doing. You were just sitting there staring at your computer screen."

"Oh," he stammered. "I was up most of the night, guess I had the stares."

Dean narrowed his eyes at his brother suspiciously. He had a feeling there was more to his odd behaviour than he was saying.

"She's gotten to ya, hasn't she?" he whispered.

"Shut up, Dean!"

He grinned teasingly, but said nothing.

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother, then began surfing the web for something to hunt.

Jessie felt better after her shower. Her arm was still red and sore, but it looked much better than it had the night before. She bandaged it up lightly, then put on clean clothes; underwear, blue jeans and a baggy black shirt, leaving her bra off for obvious reasons.

She walked downstairs, pausing for a moment before entering the kitchen. The first thing she noticed was Sam, his face in the computer, then she noticed Dean, who was smiling at her coyly. She looked away then took a seat at the table on the other side of Sam.

"Good morning, Jess," Bobby said, slamming down a glass of water and two pills in front of her.

"Yeah, good morning to you too, Bobby," she said narrowing her eyes.

"Just take them. No arguments." She sighed, then swallowed the pills, while Bobby smiled and walked away.

"Good morning," Dean beamed at her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Dean. Thanks for asking."

Bobby came back to the table, placing a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Jessie. "Eat."

She turned to look at him, smirking sarcastically. "Runny eggs and burnt bacon? Is this what you call breakfast?"

He stared at her seriously, pretending he was offended, before laughing. "Yeah, just the way you like it."

"Thanks, Bobby."

Once she began to eat, Bobby made food for himself and the Winchester brothers. They mostly ate in awkward silence. Dean and Bobby both noticed the tension between Jessie and Sam, though neither would have admitted it. Bobby was hoping it was a good thing, while Dean was just amused.

After they ate, Bobby checked on Jessie's wound, not willing to take her word that it was looking better. But after his assessment, he agreed that it did look much better. She was pleased. That meant he wouldn't be keeping her prisoner for too long. She hated being in any one place for too long.

She helped Bobby with the dishes, then went outside to her car.

She started her car, then opened the hood, looking in. She checked the fluids first, oil, transmission and washer fluid, topping up the washer fluid since it was getting low, then began checking on a few different things. She was leaning, looking under the hood, just thinking, when she saw Dean pop his head under the hood on the other side. She sighed, standing up.

"What?" she asked with irritation.

"I was just coming to see if you needed any help with your car," he replied, both hands in the air slightly as if he was surrendering.

She eyed him carefully for a moment, before smiling. "I'm not sure my girl would like your hands inside her."

He smirked. "Your girl, huh?"

"Of course. All cars are girls. Didn't you know that?"

He laughed. "I bet she has a name like Betsy or something, doesn't she?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Now that would be silly."

"Yeah," he laughed with her.

"Why is it you'd think I need help with my car? Does having the hood up automatically mean something is wrong with it?"

"No."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I just like working on cars."

She eyed him curiously, mulling over something. "I doubt I need help since I did rebuild this engine myself, but you can always watch."

"I like to watch," he grinned slyly.

"Mmmhmm," she said rolling her eyes.

They stood quietly, looking at the insides of the car. Dean was studying the car, quite impressed with it. "Did you add the turbo charger, or did it come with the car?"

"I added it. Only way to out run the cops."

"And you carburated it?"

"Yup. I was sick of figuring out which sensor needed replacing any given day. Too damn much to go wrong. I only did that recently. The engine still isn't tuned right. That's what I was hoping to figure out today, since I can't do much else."

"Do you mind if I have a look?"

She gazed at him shrewdly, thinking for a moment. "I guess it can't hurt."

He flashed her a smile then began tinkering with the engine.

She watched with interest as he adjusted things. The moment her car began to idle perfectly, she smiled. "You did it."

"Did you have any doubts?" he asked.

"No, not really," she replied, then went into the car, turned it off and pocketed her keys. She stood there for a minute, thinking, before walking back to where Dean was standing.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly.

"No problem."

She looked at him a moment, pursing her lips in thought. "I mean, thanks for everything. You and your brother saved my life. I know I haven't made things easy."

"It's okay, Jessie. I kind of understand where you're coming from."

"You do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Losing family is difficult. I know that better than anyone."

"What did Bobby tell you about me?"

"Not much."

"Bullshit!" she said glaring. "The look on your face tells me you know more than what I confessed to Sam." Her voice began to rise as she spoke. "He told you everything didn't he? About my parents, my sister, my grandfather. Did he tell you what happened to him? Did he?"

"Jessie..."

"No, _Dean_, you answer my question!"

"He told us about him."

"Did he tell you how I killed him?"

He looked uncomfortably but said nothing.

"He did, didn't he? He told you how he'd been bitten by a werewolf the day he told me everything about my heritage, his legacy. Then he told me what was going to happen to him. He explained how I had to shoot him because he couldn't do it, because he needed time to explain everything. How would you feel if you had to kill the only family you had left in the world? Tell me how you'd still want to live and be happy. Tell me how that wouldn't haunt your every waking moment."

Dean grasped a hold of her arms firmly, gazing into her eyes. "You're right. I can't even begin to imagine what that would be like. But you can't go through the rest of your life hiding from everyone."

"Really, Dean? When's the last time you opened up to someone? Huh? Don't think I can't see that haunted look in your eyes."

"You're right," he said, releasing his grip on her arms. "But do you know what I have that you don't?" She shook her head. "I have Sam. If it wasn't for him...then I'd probably be more like you."

She stood still, thinking about what he said for a moment. She knew he was right, but it wasn't so easy to let go of eight years of pain and heartache. She just couldn't let someone in so easily.

She swallowed hard. "Thank you, Dean...for your help with my car," she said, slamming down the hood of her car and walking back into the house.

Jessie went upstairs, grabbed her laptop and flopped on to the bed with it. She turned it on, waiting impatiently for it to boot. Once it finally loaded, she began surfing certain news sites, looking for something to hunt. She'd been upstairs a couple of hours before she was disturbed by someone knocking.

"What?" she called irritably.

"Can I come in?" Bobby called as he partially opened the door.

"Yeah."

He walked in the room hesitantly, shutting the door behind him, then sat at the end of the bed. He looked uncomfortable, not knowing what to say.

Jessie could tell this was going to be a serious discussion, so she set aside her laptop and waited.

"I'm sorry, Jess. I shouldn't have told Sam or Dean anything."

She stared pensively for a moment. "It's okay, Bobby. I don't blame you."

"You don't?" he asked with surprise.

"No. I think you were right. I can't go through life like this, not any longer."

"Do you mind if I ask what changed your mind?"

She was quiet for a moment. "It was you, but also Sam and Dean. It's gonna be tough, but, you were right. Grandpa wouldn't have wanted me to live like this. I just wish I knew how to stop."

He smiled supportively. "It's not going to be easy, darling. Nothing in life worth doing is."

"You're right, Bobby. Thank you."

He smiled lightly, stood up from the bed, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. "I'll always be here for you if you need me."

She nodded lightly, watching him leave the room. She sighed, once he closed the door behind him, and picked up her laptop, setting it on her lap. She was going to do more surfing, but she couldn't keep her mind on it. She was busy thinking about everything that had happened in the past few days.

What she'd told Bobby had only been a partial truth. She wanted to feel better, learn how to let go of things, but the truth was, she had no idea where to start. The only thing she could do, was try to let people help her when they wanted to, like Bobby, Sam and Dean. She hoped the rest would come with time. She'd been so lonely for so long, and it wasn't until she met the Winchesters that she'd realized it.

Jessie came out of the bedroom shortly after her talk with Bobby. She sat in the livingroom, surfing, and talking with Bobby, Sam and Dean. She was trying her best to be normal, not that she knew what normal was, but she was trying. It was getting late when she decided to go in to town.

"I'm gonna head in to town and grab something to eat for us. What do you all want?"

None of them could quite agree on what they wanted.

"I'll go grab pizza, wings and salad. Is that okay with all of you?"

No one disagreed, so she grabbed some cash from her dufflebag, grabbed her car keys and walked outside. It was already beginning to get dark.

"Hey," Dean called from behind her. "Why don't you let me drive? You said you wanted a ride in my car once, didn't you?"

She turned around, grinning. "Yeah, sure."

He smiled. "Get in."

Jessie climbed into the car and put her seatbelt on, before looking around. She was pleased to see that the interior of the car was just as well maintained as the body of the car. She turned to look at Dean, who was grinning at her strangely.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just watching you appraising my car."

She smiled sarcastically. "I forgot. You did say you like to watch."

"Ha, that's funny," he replied with a grin.

"So, why did you want to drive me to get food? Was someone worried I couldn't handle it by myself?"

"No, that's not it. I just wanted to give you a ride in my baby."

"Really? That's all?"

"Well, that and I wanted to apologize to you for earlier."

"Dean..."

"No, let me continue. I don't often apologize, so..."

"Dean, really, it's okay. It wasn't your fault at all. It was mine. I overreacted."

He was quiet, not sure what to say and it seemed she had nothing to say either. He decided to keep his mouth shut so he didn't upset her further.

When they arrived at the pizza place, Jessie went in to order, while Dean stood outside by his car waiting. When she came out, she looked at him impatiently.

"They said they're busy, it's gonna be more than half an hour."

"I don't mind waiting."

"Okay," she said then walked back in. She was back out only two minutes later.

"Do you want to go for a drink while we wait," he said, pointing to the bar next door.

"No, not really. I shouldn't really be drinking while I'm taking the antibiotics."

"Okay."

She walked closer to him, leaning up against the car right beside him. "You can grab a drink if you want. I don't mind waiting alone."

He turned to face her, gazing deep into her eyes. He reached out, brushing away a few stray hairs.

"Dean..."

"I'm sorry," he said, jerking his hand away.

She smiled, pursing her lips in thought. "Look, I know that it was me that kissed you that night, not that you stopped me. But I haven't, uh, well, forget it," she stammered.

"No, what were you going to say?"

"I don't want to read more into your actions than I am," she answered awkwardly.

"I wanted to kiss you. Is that clear enough?" he said with a smile. "Now tell me what you wanted to say."

She began blushing slightly, looking away. "I haven't been that close to someone in over eight years."

"You mean you haven't..."

"No, nothing. That kiss we shared was the first kind of contact I've had like that since my boyfriend died."

He was trying really hard to keep how he felt from showing, but he did manage to grin slyly, which didn't seem to impress her very much. He knew she'd kept her distance from people, but he didn't think it meant she hadn't had sex either, and now that he knew, he was finding it hard not to be excited by the prospect of being her first in a long time. He knew he shouldn't think that way, but he wasn't thinking with his brain any longer.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't push."

She moved her face closer to his, placing her hand on his arm. "What if I said I wanted you to kiss me?"

He wasn't sure if it was a smart thing to kiss her, for so many reasons, but he could sense the need in her eyes and he couldn't resist. He just knew he had to take this very slow.

Dean put one arm around Jessie's waist, pulling her closer, while his other hand gently caressed her face. He brought his lips slowly to hers, kissing them slowly and softly.

She grasped him by the shoulders, kissing him back just as soft and slow, she didn't want to push herself too far, it had been too long and she was afraid of what he might think she wanted. All she wanted at the moment was a kiss and a tender touch.

After a couple of minutes, she pulled back, gazing into his eyes. She felt a bit awkward, unsure what to say. He was the one who broke the awkward silence, smirking slyly. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"What, you need a compliment?" she teased.

"Of course. Was I a ten or what?"

She laughed teasingly. "Out of a hundred?"

"Ha, ha," he laughed sarcastically.

"I thought I should be honest," she continued to tease.

He grasped her around the waist, pulling her close again. "Maybe I need to show you again."

She wanted to pull away, but as she looked into his eyes, she couldn't. It had been a long time since someone had looked at her that way, desiring her. It had been way too long and she felt unable to fight it. She kissed him, much more passionately this time, losing herself in the moment. It was Dean this time that pulled back a minute later.

"Maybe we should check to see if the food is ready."

"Yeah," she answered breathlessly. "I'll be right back."

She was only inside the pizza place for a couple of minutes, when she came out carrying three pizzas, two boxes of chicken wings and a box of salad. Dean spread out a blanket on the back seat, where she placed the food carefully, then got in the car.

"Why did you get so much food?" he asked curiously.

"I like cold pizza for breakfast."

"Oh," he said and laughed.

She watched out the window as he drove out of town, heading back to Bobby's. He'd put some music on, but she barely noticed it, she was too busy in her own head. She couldn't get the kiss out of head, but what was disturbing, was all she could think about was Sam. She knew she had a huge problem, but she had no idea what to do about it. If she admitted to herself that she liked Sam, then she would begin feeling vulnerable again and she didn't think she could handle that. But if she messed with Dean, who she didn't feel anything more than a sexual attraction for, she might ruin any chance she might remotely have with his brother. She had no idea what she was going to do, but she had to decide soon before she messed everything up. Things had been way simpler when she spent her time pushing people away.

**A/N: So, what do you think so far? Would love to hear your opinions.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Things were awkward between Dean and Jessie after they got back to Bobby's. Both Bobby and Sam noticed it, but neither of them said anything. They all ate, talked, joked, drank and had a good time, then Jessie took her medication and went to bed.

She had a difficult time sleeping, tossing and turning for a few hours, before she decided to forget trying to sleep and went downstairs. She was sitting on the couch in the livingroom, surfing the web, when Sam came into the room, sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

"Hey, Sam," she greeted him with a friendly smile. "You can't sleep either huh?"

"No. Not really."

"Well, are you up for a hunt?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "You mean us?"

She smiled, shaking her head. "No. I mean you and Dean. I'm not up for hunting yet."

"Whatcha got?" he asked, moving to sit right beside her.

She felt a tingle on her skin as his body made contact with hers. "There's this story here about a house. It seems every ten years one person in the house dies mysteriously. Never any fingerprints, signs of violence or forced entry. I checked and it goes back at least eighty years, the first one seems to have happened in 1931. No one's pieced it together before now, because the deaths rarely made the paper. Each death was ruled natural causes because there was absolutely no trauma to the body, the people just seemed to up and die for no apparent reason. They could never find a cause."

"That's strange," he said. "How did you find the pattern?"

"Well that's the thing, it's a really strange pattern. Except for the deaths occuring on the same date every ten years. Each person who died was of a different sex and age. The last one was in the paper because it was a young child, only three years old."

"A three year old dying of natural causes. That's definitely not normal."

"No. That's why I checked in to the house. It took me awhile, I had to check through tons of obits."

"There's only one problem."

"What's that?"

"If whatever it is only shows up every ten years, than we've probably missed our window."

"Maybe," she said thinking. "But it wouldn't hurt to check it out."

He leaned closer to the laptop screen, looking for the address. She felt her heart begin to beat faster as he came close enough she could smell his manly scent. "Here," she said, handing him a flash drive. "I put all the information on this, in case you wanted to look into it."

He smiled brightly, taking the drive from her hand, letting his hand linger a moment longer on hers than he should have. "You think of everything, don't you?"

"That's what makes me a good hunter," she smirked.

"You should probably try and sleep, Jessie," he said with concern. "You don't want to have a setback, do you?"

"You're sweet, Sam," she said, placing her hand on his. "I think I should."

"What, no argument?" he joked.

She smiled. "Not unless you want me to argue with you."

He grinned and stood up, reaching his hand out to her. She took it, glad for the help getting up from the couch, she was stiff from sitting still so long.

"Good night, Sam."

"Good night, Jessie. Sweet dreams."

She smiled back at him, before going up to bed. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Jessie slept in, waking late in the morning. She immediately jumped out of bed and took a shower. She was happy to see her arm was healing, she desperately wanted to go out and find something to hunt and soon. She walked down into the kitchen but no one was there. She poured herself a glass of orange juice, drinking half before she set it on the table and went into the livingroom.

Bobby was sitting on the couch, reading an old book. He smiled at her as she walked in.

"Where is everyone?" she asked curiously.

"Sam and Dean left early this morning on a hunt."

"Oh," she said, sounding dejected.

He glanced at her knowingly. "I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"I wasn't worried, Bobby," she lied. "I'm just upset they never said goodbye."

"Are you leaving too?" he asked concerned.

"Not until tomorrow at the earliest. I was hoping you'd finish stitching up my wound now that it's healing."

"Of course. Just let me finish reading this passage."

"No need to rush. I'm gonna go eat some cold pizza for breakfast."

He nodded, turning his attention back to the book. She took that as her cue to leave.

She went into the kitchen and ate some pizza, took her antibiotics, then took out her laptop and began searching for something to hunt. That was how she ended up spending the entire day. She'd been used to spending her days that way for a very long time, but today she felt bored, restless and lonely.

Bobby stitched up her wound later in the day. He told her it was looking good, but it was going to leave an ugly scar. It didn't bother her, she had a few other scars, it was all part of the job, plus, she wasn't vain. Each scar told a story of how she'd survived something nasty and dangerous, so she wore them with a sort of pride.

She hadn't realized it, but she'd been holding on to her phone a lot during the day, hoping for a phone call. She knew it was silly, no one was going to call her, but she was secretly hoping.

She went to bed early that night, hoping to leave first thing in the morning. She hadn't told Bobby her plans, but she was sure he knew. He'd been asking her for help with some things the next day, as if he was trying to get her to stick around. But she couldn't. She needed to get back out there and do what she was meant to do. Hunt.

Jessie slept restlessly through the night, but still managed to wake up just after dawn. She packed everything she had at Bobby's into her dufflebag, making sure she didn't forget the antibiotics. She was having a cup of coffee, when Bobby came into the kitchen looking weary eyed.

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

"Bobby..."

"I knew you were going to leave as soon as you were better. I guess I was just hoping you'd stay a couple more days."

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Bobby. For everything you've done for me. I know I haven't made it easy on you."

"It was a labor of love, darling," he said with a smile.

"You've made me realize something. I was wrong. There is more to life than hunting. But I also realized, I can't just stop hunting, it's in my blood. But, I promise, I'm going to make more of an effort to get along with people, maybe even make some friends."

"Is that what you consider Sam and Dean, friends?"

She narrowed her eyes shrewdly, trying to figure out what exactly he was asking. "Yeah. I guess besides you, they're my only friends."

"We're more like family."

"You're right, Bobby. Family doesn't have to mean blood. I wish I'd realized that years ago."

"You're still young. You're only thirty. You have so many years still ahead of you."

She nodded her head. "I see that now. Maybe one day I'll want more from my life, but for now, I need to hunt," she said with finality.

"Can you at least tell me where you're going?"

"I'll call you from the road," she said and stood up.

Bobby approached her, hugging her tightly. "Take care of yourself, kiddo."

"I will. I promise."

Jessie grabbed her dufflebag, glancing back at Bobby, before leaving the house. She stood for a moment, looking at her car, before she unlocked the door and got in. She began to drive away, feeling a new sense of loss for the first time in a very long time.

She drove for eight hours, only stopping once to grab a very quick bite to eat and use the bathroom. It was late in the afternoon when she pulled up to an old familiar farmhouse that she used to call home. It had been her grandfather's house, before he passed away, but it was hers now. She hadn't visited it in many months, the long grass was a testament to that. She paid someone to cut the grass every week, but it looked like she was going to have to find someone new, they didn't seem to be doing their job.

Other than the dust and cobwebs, inside was exactly how she'd left it. The house had heavy duty iron doors with dead bolts, bars on the windows and a security system, complete with cameras she could check with her laptop. It would take a lot of effort for someone to get into the house uninvited.

It hadn't been her intention, but Jessie ended up spending the night, staying up late to clean the house of dust and cobwebs. She left midmorning, heading towards the destination of her hunt. She stopped once, late afternoon, to have something to eat. That was when she got a phone call.

"Sam?" she said with surprise, feeling her heart skip a beat.

"Yeah. I just called to tell you about that house. I thought you'd be interested."

"Of course."

"It was the spirit of the first home owner, Harold Levins. We never figured out how he killed the people, but we figured out why he only killed every ten years."

"Why?"

"He was OCD. He could only kill every ten years because of it."

"He had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?"

"Yeah. It was the craziest thing."

She was at a loss for words, not sure what to say.

"Where are you right now?" he asked.

"I'm at a diner right now, having dinner."

"Bobby said you were heading out to a hunt. Where at?"

She sighed. "I'm not telling you that, Sam. I told you before I hunt alone."

"I thought maybe that had changed is all."

She snorted. "You left Bobby's without a goodbye and this is the first time you've called me since, and now you want to join me for a hunt?"

"I thought you would've assumed we were leaving right away. I thought we'd be back before you decided to leave."

"You were wrong."  
>"I'm sorry, Jessie. I guess we're all just used to doing what we do with no thought of anyone else."<p>

It was true. But that didn't make her feel better right away. "I gotta go, Sam. I want to find a motel before it gets too late."

"If you change your mind about needing help, call me. Or Bobby."

"I will. Bye, Sam. Say hi to Dean for me."

"Good luck, Jessie. Stay safe."

Jessie wanted nothing more than Sam and Dean to help with her hunt, but she needed some time to herself. It wasn't easy to change, especially after spending eight years being something next to inhuman. She need time and space to deal with her emotions. Emotions she'd kept locked up for so long, she couldn't remember what it had been like to feel them. Now that she let them loose, she found she felt something like she once did when she was a teenager, awkward and confused.

She finally made it to a motel in the town she'd been heading for, late that evening. She checked in to a room, then headed to the nearest bar.

She sat at the bar and ordered herself a beer. She was busy scoping out the room, looking for anything suspicious. She ended up spending two hours there, being hit on by many men, but no valuable information.

Jessie went to sleep immediately after she arrived back at her motel room, only waking early the next morning. She grabbed a quick bite to eat, before driving around town looking for clues.

Several children had gone missing in the past couple of weeks as well as several bodies of adults completely drained of their blood. She knew there had to be a nest of vampires somewhere nearby, but that didn't explain why there were so many missing children, all different sexes and ages. But she hoped that the vampires weren't involved with the missing children as well. It made her sick to think about it.

She managed to talk to a few of the parents whose children had been missing, by posing as an FBI agent. It was one of the most difficult things she'd ever had to do, and she'd done many difficult things. But still, she had no idea what was going on. She'd thought at first it could just be the work of some pervert, but pedophiles almost always took kids of the same gender and around the same age. There was something strange about this and she wasn't going to leave until she figured it out.

She checked in with the coroner about the dead bodies, still posing as an FBI agent. The way he characterized their injuries, she knew it was the work of vampires, without seeing their bodies, but she did manage to have a look at one of the corpses, she was positive it was vampires.

She went back to the motel in the midafternoon to have a nap, she needed to be awake and alert most of the night. She hadn't been asleep very long when her phone began to ring incessantly. She tried to ignore it, but whoever it was had been calling over and over again. She sighed loudly, answering her phone.

"Hello?"

"You said you would call me from the road."

"Bobby. I'm trying to sleep."

"I'm sorry, but I was worried."

"Why are you worried all of a sudden? I used to go months without speaking to you."

"I know. But I can't help shaking this feeling I'm having."

"You're such a big teddy bear, Bobby," she teased.

"Ha, ha," he laughed sarcastically.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll send you some info on my hunt. It's very, very strange. I could use the help figuring out what's going on."

"As long as you're going to send it right away."

She sighed. "I'll send it before I go out tonight. I'd like to go back to sleep right now."

"As long as you promise."

"Yes," she said impatiently.

"Be safe."

"Bye, Bobby."

After she hung up the phone, she tried to get back to sleep, but she had no luck. She gave up after half an hour, emailing Bobby the info she'd promised, so he couldn't say she'd broken her promise. She had a feeling he was going to let the Winchesters know where she was, but she knew she'd sent them on a hunt on the opposite side of the country, so it would be some time before they could make it to where she was. She hoped to find what she was looking for well before then.

She looked through her information again, hoping to figure out what was going on, but she was still stumped. Her best bet was to go in search of the vampire's nest. She grabbed the map of the area she'd bought at the store in the morning, and began marking where all of the adults bodies had been found with one color and where all the children had been taken with another color. She soon realized all of them were found close to the same area.

She opened her laptop, loading an aerial view program she had installed on it. She wanted to see if there were any old farms, barns, abandoned buildings etc., in the area of the missing children and dead bodies. Unfortunately there were several. She marked where they were on the map so she could find them easier when she went out.

Once she was done with the map, she decided she had all she needed, so she packed up the map and her laptop, stowed them in her car, then drove to the nearest funeral home.

It was difficult, but she managed to score a small amount of dead man's blood at the funeral home without getting caught. It was something else she hated to do, but it was another necessary evil. It was one of the reasons she hated hunting vampires and normally avoided them at all costs.

It was getting late, so she grabbed something quick to eat, before she headed out to search for the nest. She initially drove by a few houses and buildings, doing her best to avoid looking suspicious. It was getting dark, she knew they'd be out soon to feed.

It was the third building she drove by that seemed the most likely to be harboring the vampires. It was back far on the road. It was isolated. And it seemed to have some activity going on, but not a single light could be seen. She knew it had to be the place.

She drove a few minutes away, stopping at the side of the road. She opened her trunk, pulling out her favorite custom made machete. It was unique, made specially for hunting vampires. There was a small reservoir in the handle made to hold dead man's blood. It included a small button to dispense it as needed, just in case she missed the kill shot.

She filled the reservoir in the machete with the blood she'd pilfered from the funeral home, then sharpened it slightly, it had been awhile since it was last used. Once she was happy it was sharp enough, she spread a special salve on herself, it was specially made to hide her scent from the vampires. Once she was finished, she packed up her car again, throwing the machete in the front seat, and drove back the way she'd come, parking her car in front of the laneway just before the house she suspected the vampires were nesting in.

She grabbed her machete as she got out of the car, closing the door quietly. She made sure the ringer on her phone was turned to silent, before pocketing it again. She was going to take a few more weapons and the extra blood, but she decided against it. She was only planning on watching them tonight. She would come back in the daytime when she had the advantage, not during the night while they did.

She crept as silently as she could through the grass and brush and around some trees and bushes, until she came to some bushes that were close enough to the house to see, but far enough away there was little possibilty of being seen, or smelled. Many people would still have had a problem being able to see from such a distance, especially in the dark, but all the years of hunting creatures in the dark had honed her eyesight.

Jessie sat quietly observing the house for almost an hour before seeing any sign of a vampire. There were three of them. One male and two females. They were standing in front of the door of the house, watching a car that was driving down the driveway towards the house. The male turned, speaking to the females, then one of them walked into the house.

She watched as the car stopped near the front of the house, a male vampire stepping out, then opening up the back door of the car, dragging out two bodies. She knew they were alive, because vampires can't drink blood from a dead man, but they weren't moving. She wanted to do something to save them, but she wasn't sure how many vampires there were yet. She felt helpless.

She continued to watch, as the vampire dropped the bodies of two men at the front doorstep, then stopped to talk to the male and female vampire that had been waiting outside. They hadn't talked long, when the front door of the house opened, the female who had went inside earlier appearing, but she wasn't alone. She was holding onto a tiny hand of a child. Jessie had to bite her tongue from gasping out loud.

She watched as the female vampire led the child out the door. He couldn't be a little boy of more than three. She gave his hand to the other female, then walked back to the door, once again appearing with a child, a little girl of maybe five. Then a couple more children, a boy of around seven and a girl of around six came running out the door, stopping beside the other children.

The next thing that happened appalled Jessie so much, she nearly threw up. She had to close her eyes and continue to bite her tongue so she wouldn't scream. All four of the children, jumped on the bodies of the men lying on the ground, each finding their own place to bite, sucking their blood for sustenance, they'd been turned into vampires. Four innocent children. The thought completely enraged her.

Jessie wanted to attack the vampires so badly, but what was she going to do, murder four children? She didn't think she could do that, even though she knew she had no choice. They had to be killed. They were monsters. But that wasn't going to make it any easier on her. They were still innocent children who'd been turned into monsters against their will. What she knew for sure was, she couldn't keep watching what was happening. She turned her body about ninety degrees so it would be more difficult to look in that direction, if she was tempted to. She would rather have closed her eyes, but she knew at some point she might fall asleep, she definitely couldn't let that happen.

Jessie sat in the bushes until dawn. By then, everyone had retreated back into the house and all was quiet. She was stiff and sore from sitting on the cold, hard ground, but there was no way she was going to stay where she was longer than she had to. She would of dragged herself out on her hands and knees if she had needed to, but thankfully that wasn't necessary.

Once she was back at her car, she threw the machete in the trunk, then drove back to the motel. She was hungry, but she was more tired than hungry, so she didn't bother worrying about grabbing something to eat before reaching the motel. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and forget everything she'd seen in the past few hours.

Upon arriving at the motel, she immediately climbed into bed, but sleep was evasive. She couldn't get the image of the monstrous children from her head. Eventually, she did fall asleep, but it was a restless sleep, full of nightmares.

**A/N: How do you think she's going to handle monster children? I know it would make me heartsick for sure. Will update again soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jessie was awakened in the late morning by knocking at her motel door. She tried to ignore it at first, but whoever it was seemed very persistent. She sighed irritably before climbing out of bed. She opened the door slightly, peeking out to see who it was, not at all surprised to see the smiling face of Dean Winchester.

"Good morning, Jessie," he beamed.

She glared at him irritably, fully opening the door to allow him and Sam to come in, closing the door behind them.

"I'm sorry, I'm not in the best mood right now," she apologized.

"We're sorry to bother you, but Bobby thought you might need our help," Sam said.

She shook her head, blinking her eyes a couple of times to clear them, she was still sleepy.

"Actually, I'm glad you're both here," she replied distracted. "I, uh, um, I'm still tired though, so I'm not really with it yet."

"Did we wake you?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, sorta. I was having trouble sleeping. You wouldn't mind getting me a coffee, would you, Dean?" she asked, turning towards him.

"Yeah, sure, cause I'm an errand boy, right?" he asked sarcastically.

She gave him a hard look, reached into her pocket and pulled out a few bills, tossing them to him. "Get yourself and Sam one too."

He tried returning her hard look, but he could tell she was in no mood. He picked the money up off the floor that he hadn't caught, and left the room without another word.

"Are you okay, Jessie?" Sam asked worried, as he watched her sit on the couch, putting her head in her hands.

She looked up at him, sighing and shaking her head. "No, not really."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked with concern as he sat down beside her, laying a supportive hand on her back.

As she gazed into his warm, kind eyes, she felt herself calm slightly. "It's this damn hunt. I didn't realize what I was getting myself into."

"How so?"

"I don't want to think about it, Sam, let alone talk about it," she said sadly. "I've never seen anything as sick and disturbing as this, and I've seen a lot of sick and disturbing things."

"You and me both," he agreed. "What makes this hunt worse than the rest?"

"Maybe I shouldn't let my nightmare be yours and Dean's," she said shaking her head.

"I'm sure we can handle it."

"Are you saying I can't? Are you saying that you and your brother are better than me?" she asked, close to anger. Her exhaustion, frustration, fear and anger were all combining into one emotion, and she couldn't control herself. She hadn't wanted to yell at Sam, but she couldn't help herself.

"That's not what I meant," Sam said apologetically.

She stood up from the couch and began pacing a few steps back and forth, before stopping and gazing at Sam, who was watching her with concern.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I know you didn't mean to suggest I wasn't as capable as you and your brother..." she trailed off.

He stood up from the couch, walking up to her, placing a supportive hand on her arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She wasn't sure why, but she stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace and buried her head against his chest. He felt warm, inviting and comforting, just what she needed right now. He wrapped his arms around her as she began to shake violently, unable to bring herself to tears.

Jessie stayed in Sam's arms for a few minutes, even after she quit shaking. He didn't seem to mind holding her, and she didn't mind being held. She felt safe in his arms, like she was meant to be there, even though deep down she was trying to fight the need. But she'd denied herself for so long, her need was so strong, it was difficult to deny.

Dean returned to the motel a few minutes later, walking in on them holding each other. He felt awkward, like he'd interrupted something meaningful, something he wasn't meant to see. He placed their coffees down on the table, flopping on to the couch.

They'd separated the instant Dean had walked in, but Jessie felt incredibly guilty, like she'd done something she shouldn't have. It took a moment to realize it was because of the look in Dean's eyes, like he was upset. She wasn't sure why, she'd heard enough stories to know he never really got serious with any woman, so why would he be upset? She couldn't let that worry her at the moment, they had a job to do.

She grabbed a coffee off the table, taking a short sip. Sam had picked his up as well and was drinking, while Dean seemed to be almost done with his.

"Look," she said suddenly, breaking the awkward silence. "This hunt has been very disturbing for me, but I'm a professional so it's time I start acting it." She said it out loud so she could convince herself she was fine, even though she wasn't. Neither of the Winchesters believed it either. "We need to get moving, and soon, while it's still daylight."

"So it is vampires?" Dean asked.

She thought for a moment before answering. "Yes."

"Well that explains the missing adults and the dead bodies drained of blood, but what about the missing children?" Sam asked.

She hesitated, not wanting to think about it, much less speak about it. "Same case."

"What do you mean, same case?" Dean asked with surprise.

She sighed heavily, averting her gaze so she wasn't looking at either brother. "I knew I was dealing with vampires after I spoke with the coroner, and managed to have a peek at one of the bodies. But I was completely stumped about the children. I knew it couldn't be the work of a pedophile, they usually had a type and age, and the children taken were all different ages and sexes." She paused for a moment, gazing off into the distance as if she were somewhere else.

"I went in search of their nest last night, managing to get lucky early on in the night. I snuck up on them as close as I could and watched to see how many I was dealing with. What I know for sure was there were four." She stopped, unable to say what she was thinking next.

"What do you mean _were_ four?" Sam asked curiously.

She looked at him with sorrow in her eyes. "One of them had brought two men to the nest to feed from. Then another of them went in to the house to retrieve the rest of the vamps. And out came...four of the missing children."

"They kidnapped the children?" Dean asked in surprise.

"If it were only that bad," she remarked.

"What is it, Jessie?" Sam gently prodded.

"Those miserable bastards turned the kids into monsters, in to vampires."

"What?" the brothers asked in unison.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes—the kids tearing their fangs into the flesh of the men, suckling from them like a lion cub whose mother brought them a kill." She stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts. "It made my stomach turn and my flesh crawl. I couldn't bear to watch any longer."

"This is so not right," Dean said with disbelief.

Sam looked back and forth from Jessie to Dean, disbelief on his face. Now he understood why she'd been so upset, he definitely couldn't blame her. The thought of some evil, blood thirsty children made his flesh crawl as well.

Everyone was silent for a short time, the tension could be felt in the air. No one was sure what to say, even Dean. It was him that finally decided to break the silence though.

"The day is disappearing as we speak. We need to get a move on if we want to clear this nest out before dark."

Jessie narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that all you have to say? Are you that heartless?"

"They're monsters, Jessie, you know that. And unless you want more innocent people killed, we need to go now."

She knew he was right, but that didn't make any of it easier. She was a professional and she'd never hesitated to kill a monster before, but every time she thought about chopping the head off of a child, she wanted to vomit.

"I guess I'm not as cold as I thought I was," she said quietly.

Sam sighed, shooting a hard look at his brother. "I don't think any of us are thrilled with the fact we need to kill some children, but it's got to be done, Jess."

She turned quickly giving Sam a very hard look. "Don't _you_ call me that!" she blurted out. "Only Bobby's allowed to call me that."

"I'm sorry, Jessie. I didn't mean to insult you," he apologized with a frown.

She sighed and shook her head. "No, don't be sorry. I'm just on edge with all that's been going on. I'm sorry for making a big deal out of it."

"It's okay," he said understandingly.

"No, it's not, really," she said looking apologetic. "I'm just being sensitive. I know about your past too, Sam."

He looked confused for a moment, before realizing what she'd alluded to. She knew about his ex, Jessica. No wonder she was sensitive, he couldn't blame her. He passed her a knowing look, then looked away.

"Well, I don't know about you," Dean began, interrupting the uncomfortable silence. "But we need to get some dead man's blood, just in case."

"I have enough for all of us," Jessie answered quickly. "Let's just hurry up and go before I lose my nerve."

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Dean offered.

"I've never bailed on a hunt and I'm not about to now," she replied, fishing her car keys from her pocket. "Let's go."

"Plenty of room in my car," Dean said with a grin, dangling his car keys.

"Thanks for the offer, but my car is fine, thank you."

"She might be fine, but mine is better," he teased.

She rolled her eyes in irritation. "Just follow me—if you can keep up," she said with a grin, walking out of the motel room.

He smiled, turning to his brother. "Let's go, Sam," he said excitedly as he followed her out of the room.

Sam followed quickly behind them, smiling. He saw a lot of his brother in Jessie. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but he found it strangely amusing.

Jessie led Dean and Sam out to the same spot she'd parked her car the night before. She already had the trunk of her car open when Dean pulled up behind her. She grinned at him teasingly as he approached the car.

"Were you able to keep up?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" he replied sarcastically.

She smiled, turning her attention back to the trunk of her car. She grabbed the dead man's blood first, handing it to Dean, then pulled out her custom made machete, sharpening it a couple of times just for good luck. Sam had come to stand beside his brother by the time she'd finished sharpening the blade, handing Dean a machete, while he held on to his own.

"Lemme see this a sec," she said to Dean, grabbing for the dead man's blood.

He watched with interest as she poured a small amount of blood into the special reservoir in her machete, before handing the blood back to him.

"That's a cool knife," he remarked.

"I got it custom made a couple years back. I doubt there's many like this around."

He looked at her strangely for a moment. "What did the knife maker think you needed the reservoir for?"

"Poison," she replied with a laugh. "He thought that it was overkill, having such a sharp knife and needing to poison someone too. Little does he know."

He laughed. "You could have always told him the truth."

"I suppose I could have," she mused. "That might've been more amusing."

Dean smiled, before noticing the serious look on Sam's face, making him look at his brother questioningly.

Sam shook his head, turning away. He was uncomfortable with the prospect of killing some innocent children and he wasn't in the mood for joking. He didn't say anything to his brother though, he didn't want to bring him down. Making jokes was Dean's way of coping with the stress, and obviously Jessie's as well.

Dean knew his brother well enough to understand his behaviour. "Are you ready, Jessie?"

She sighed deeply. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Then by all means, lead the way."

Jessie lead the brothers through the tall grass, brush and bushes, to the spot she had stayed the night before, behind some tall bushes. She pointed to the house in the near distance, indicating it was the right house. As the brothers began to creep towards the house slowly and carefully, she stayed where she was, hesitating for a moment. The brothers turned around simultaneously, looking at her expectationally.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, walking towards them. "A moment of weakness. I'm good."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked quietly with concern.

She nodded, walking slowly past them and continued going, not stopping to see if they were following behind. She didn't stop until she was against the side of the house, turning around to wait for Sam and Dean. They were only a few steps behind, so she didn't wait long.

"So, how are we going to do this?" she asked them quietly.

"I'll go in the front door, you and Sam can take the back," Dean suggested.

Sam nodded in agreement, but Jessie didn't. It didn't sound like a very good plan to her.

"How about I go in the front, and you two go through the back?" she suggested firmly. "I'm used to working alone and you two are used to working with each other."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," Sam replied.

"Dammit, don't argue with me," she whispered harshly. "My arm is almost completely healed. I'm fine."

"Are you? Because you don't seem fine to me."

"Well I am fine, Sam."

"Enough," Dean interrupted. "We don't have time for this now. Just let her have her way, Sam. She's used to that."

Jessie gave Dean a hard look, but said nothing. Sam was looking at his brother with a similiar look, but for a completely different reason. He didn't think she was ready to hunt, but he knew no matter what he said she was going to deny it. He decided it would be best to leave it alone and keep an eye on her.

"Fine," she resigned. "I'll go with Sam."

Dean nodded, then began walking towards the front of the house. Jessie took the lead, walking towards the back of the house with Sam close behind. She peeked around the corner, before walking around it slowly and staying low. The windows were completely covered up, but a shadow might be noticed and they needed the element of surprise. She stopped when she made it to the door, listening. Sam had stopped behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned around in shock, giving him a hard look for a quick second, until she noticed his look of concern.

"You don't have to act brave, Jessie," he whispered.

"I'm not acting, Sam."

"You can lie to me, but you can't lie to yourself."

"Let's just go, Sam. Your brother might already be in there," she replied, cutting him short.

He was about to say something, but she turned and began opening the door slowly, carefully, trying not to make a sound. He followed close behind her as she walked in the door, leaving enough room for Sam to walk in, then closed the door while they waited for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

They were standing in the kitchen, with only one door leading to the rest of the house. Jessie walked up to it, listening quickly for a moment, then began opening it. She peeked her head into the livingroom, where she saw Dean waiting by the stairs. She waved Sam on, then walked into the livingroom, waiting for him to catch up, then they both approached Dean quietly.

"Do you think they're all upstairs, or maybe in the basement?" Dean whispered.

Jessie shrugged. "Let's go upstairs first."

The boys nodded in agreement, then Dean headed up the stairs first taking the lead, Jessie in the middle and Sam pulling up the rear. They stopped as they got to the top, eyeing the hallway, which had six doorways. They all stood confused, not knowing who should go through which door.

After a lot of animated pointing, each chose a door close to the stairs, so they wouldn't be completely surrounded. One the count of three, each of them opened their door quietly, but swiftly.

Jessie's eyes fell upon a horrific sight, the children. There were more than she'd seen the night before, instead of only four, there were six of them, one was sleeping in a crib. She couldn't tell how old the baby was, but he couldn't be much more than a year old.

She swallowed hard, her knife raised in her hand, but she didn't have the heart to use it. She knew deep down it needed to be done, but standing in front of the sleeping children, she was paralysed with regret. She wished she'd let the Winchesters come in by themselves. Suddenly, she heard screaming, first a high pitched scream, then Dean was yelling. She knew she couldn't stand there any longer or the children would wake up.

She raised her knife high, cutting the head off of the oldest child, then quickly did the same to the child beside him. She was basically in auto pilot mode as she hacked the heads off of the other children, except for the baby. As she stood at the crib, she stared at the baby in disbelief, not wanting to believe it could possibly be a monster. But as the yelling coming from the other rooms began to get louder, the baby awakened, looking at her with evil, hungry eyes. She hadn't noticed, but she'd laid her left hand on the top rail of the crib. The baby pulled itself up quickly, biting her on the hand with it's razor sharp vampire teeth, before she could pull it away, then in one swift motion, she chopped the baby's head off.

Jessie barely heard anything as she stood at that crib, staring at what she'd done with disbelief. She'd been in survival mode, but that wore off the instant her life was out of immediate danger, despite the yelling coming from the hallway. She only remained in stunned disbelief for a few moments, before the door flew open and one of the female vampires came bursting in, screaming about her children.

The vampire ran at Jessie, teeth bared, but the screaming had sent her back into survival mode. She moved aside, as the vampire came close, swinging the machete at her neck, cutting through it cleanly. The head and body fell to the floor hard, making a thumping noise. This time, she kept her head, walking to the doorway and looking out into the hallway.

The rest of the commotion in the house, was coming from down the hall. One of the doors at the end of the hall was open, so she began walking towards it slowly, carefully, her arm poised and ready to attack. Suddenly it became quiet, so she stopped where she was, listening for a moment, before Dean and Sam came walking out of the door she was watching, stopping in front of her.

"Did we get 'em all?" Dean asked.

Jessie shrugged. "How many did you kill?"

"There were eight that we found. Seven killed," Sam replied.

"I got the eighth one. She came to check on the children," she said, her eyes taking on a haunted look.

Dean and Sam passed each other a knowing look, but decided against saying anything for now.

"We better torch this place," she blurted out. "We can't let anyone find any of this."

"You're right," Dean said. "I'll take care of it. You and Sam wait for me outside."

She was going to protest, but she didn't have a reason to. She let Sam rest his arm on her back, leading her down the stairs and out the front of the house.

The sun was beginning to go down as they stepped outside into the cool evening air. It seemed eerily quiet to Jessie, except for the sound of their breathing. It made everything that had just happened seem so surreal, like a dream.

Sam ran his fingers through his hair, looking pensive. "I know what you're going to say, but I have to ask anyway."

"I'm fine, for the moment, Sam," she replied quickly, before he had a chance to say more.

"Let's get back to the cars. Dean will catch up with us."

"Okay," she replied absentmindedly, while once again Sam put his arm on her back, leading her in the direction of the cars.

Dean caught up to them only a few minutes after they got back to Jessie's car. She had the trunk open and was cleaning the blood off of her machete.

"Hopefully no one will notice that fire for awhile," he said, while watching Jessie. He grabbed her left hand by the wrist, as she put her knife back into the trunk. "What's this?"

She tried to pull her hand free, but he held on tightly. She gave him a hard look. "Let go of me!"

"What happened to your hand?" he asked with concern, releasing it.

"The baby bit me. It's fine for now. I think we need to worry about getting out of here before someone calls the fire department."

The brothers passed each other a look of concern, but they couldn't deny she was right. They needed to get away from here as soon as possible.

"Fine. Let's get the hell out of here then."

Nothing more needed to be said. Jessie closed the trunk of her car, then hopped into it, driving away quickly. She noticed the brothers were still beside their car when she drove away, but she knew they could take care of themselves, so she didnt stop until she made it back to her motel room.

**A/N: How very disturbing, eh? My mind went there, guess that shows how disturbed I truly am lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Will update soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As soon as Jessie made it back to the motel room, she immediately began to clean up the bite wound on her hand. It wasn't very deep—it actually looked like she'd been clawed by a large cat—not bitten by a vampire. She was glad it didn't look too bad, she was tired of everyone fussing over her injuries. She'd just finished bandaging it up, when the door of the motel flew open and the Winchester brothers came running in, closing the door behind them.

"Well that was fun," Dean said sarcastically as he flopped onto the couch.

Sam ran his fingers through his hair, looking stressed. "We would've been back sooner, but we took the scenic route."

"I kinda figured," she replied.

"How's your hand?" he asked as he approached her.

"It's fine," she answered, lifting her hand quickly to show him, then placing it back at her side. "It looks more like a scratch than a bite. I don't think it will be a problem."

"Good," he replied absentmindedly, sitting down at the table.

Jessie could tell he was upset, but she had no idea what to do about it. She was still upset herself, but she was pushing it to the back of her mind until later. She wasn't sure if Sam could.

"Is anybody hungry?" she asked.

"Me!" Dean answered immediately, jumping up from the couch. Sam only shrugged his shoulders.

Jessie glanced from Sam, then to Dean, hoping he would notice her look of concern. "Do you want to go get dinner, Dean?" she asked, reaching into her pocket and pulling out some cash. "I'm buying."

He looked at her curiously for a moment, wanting to say something sarcastic, but he'd noticed his brother's morose attitude as well. "Since you're buying..." he said, snatching the money from her hand.

"Get whatever you want. I'm not feeling picky."

He was about to ask his brother what he wanted, but changed his mind. He didn't think his brother looked very hungry.

He was about to walk out of the room, when Jessie called him again. He stopped and waited to see what she wanted.

Jessie walked up to him, handing him a few more bills. "Grab some beer while you're at it." He nodded knowingly, leaving quickly.

She stared at the spot Dean had vacated for a few moments, before walking over to Sam, sitting down at the table beside him. She hesitated for a moment, before taking one of his hands into hers. "Do you need to talk, Sam?" she prodded gently.

He lifted his head up, gazing soulfully into her eyes. "I thought I was the one who was going to have to talk to you, but instead, I'm the one who's upset."

She smiled supportively, squeezing his hand. "I'm still very disturbed, Sam, don't get me wrong. But for right now, I'm concentrating on the good that we did. The lives we've saved."

"I know you're right, but I can't help thinking about those innocent children."

"I understand, Sam, believe me. I'm the one who had to—put them out of their misery. So, if anyone gets it, I do."

He shook his head lightly in understanding. "How do you do it?"

She sighed, biting her lower lip. "I block it out, Sam. That's how I've survived all this time. But it's also kept me lonely, and bitter. It's not a way to live."

He looked at her sadly for a moment, before looking away.

"That's also why I asked Dean to get some beer," she said smiling tenatively.

He glanced at her, smiling slightly. "You remind me so much of Dean."

"I'm not sure that's the kind of thing a girl likes to hear," she joked.

"Maybe not," he said, squeezing her hand. "But it's true."

She pulled her hand away slowly, feeling awkward. She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but she didn't think it was a come on. In fact, it sounded more like he thought of her as a friend, or maybe a sister, but nothing more. It wasn't what she'd expected, but it would make things easier for her.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked as she got up from the chair.

"No," she lied.

She was busy looking for her dufflebag, which she found on the floor by the bed. She reached in, feeling around until she found what she was looking for, a half empty bottle of vodka. She pulled it out, took the top off, taking a small swig, then put the lid back on. She was tired of waiting for Dean to get back with the beer, she needed a drink now.

Sam watched her curiously, beginning to worry. As tough as she acted, he knew she was hurting as much as he was, if not more. He hated to watch her pretend, drinking her cares away, like Dean often did. But he also knew that occasionally Dean would talk to him about what was bothering him. He didn't think she would open up like that to him, or perhaps anyone. But he could hope.

Jessie was about to call Dean—out of irritation—when he walked in the room, carrying a paper bag full of food in one hand and a case of beer in the other. She immediately ran to grab the beer, putting it in the fridge, while he placed the food on the table.

"I hope you don't mind burgers and fries," he said to both his brother and Jessie.

"I don't mind," she said, placing two bottles of beer on the table, while she opened a third for herself.

Dean grabbed a beer, took a drink, then sat at the table grabbing for the food. He'd already taken a few bites of his burger, before Jessie had even sat down. She watched him for a moment, smiling to herself. She found it somewhat amusing how he always seemed to be so ravenously hungry, as if he'd been starving for days.

Jessie only ate half of her burger and a few fries. She wasn't really that hungry, plus she was filling up on alcohol. She'd had three beers before either of the brothers had finished even one. She'd stayed calm to help Sam, but she wasn't nearly as cool with everything as she'd let on. She was unable to block the images of the children from her mind, no matter how hard she tried to. All she could do was drink and hope she would forget, at least for tonight.

After her fourth beer, Jessie sat on the couch and began to watch TV. She flipped the channel to some action movie, watching it while the brothers were sitting at the table.

"What happened while I was gone?" he asked his brother quietly.

"Nothing, why?" Sam asked curiously.

"She seemed fine when I left. It was you I was worried about."

"I'm fine, Dean."

"Then something had to have happened. What did you say to her?"

"Nothing much," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Dean eyed him suspiciously for a moment, before turning in Jessie's direction. No matter what his brother said, he knew he had to have said something to upset her. Even the smallest thing seemed to set her off. He knew they'd promised Bobby to look out for her, but he was unsure exactly how to do that. She didn't make it easy.

He grabbed another beer, and proceeded to sit on the couch with Jessie. She glanced at him quickly, before turning her attention back to the TV. They sat in silence for awhile, just drinking, but eventually Dean broke the silence by commenting about the movie they were watching, while she retorted to what he'd said. The two of them bickered back and forth about the movie the entire time it was on, and even for a short time afterwards. Neither of them were angry with the other, but they both seemed to enjoy questioning the others point of view.

Sam had watched—and listened—quietly for a short time, gaining some insight into Jessie's personality. He really did see a lot of familiar personality traits in her, some of the same ones his own brother displayed every day. But there were times she seemed to be putting on an act, as if she was afraid of showing her true self. He didn't really blame her. Hunting was difficult at the best of times, and she was all alone. He couldn't imagine handling it alone, and he was male. He wondered how much more difficult it must be for her being a woman. It wasn't that he didn't think a woman could handle the job alone, he'd met a few and he wouldn't have wanted to tangle with them. There was something about a tough, independant woman he liked. But Jessie seemed different from them somehow. He wasn't sure how, but he was intrigued. He hoped in time, she would eventually let him in.

"Dean," Sam called shortly after the movie was finished. "Don't you think we should get our own room? It's getting late."

Before Dean had a chance to answer, Jessie responded. "It's a queen, Sam. You and Dean can sleep in it for tonight if you want. I'll take the couch."

"That's very kind, Jessie," Dean said. "But we wouldn't feel right letting you sleep on the couch in your own room."

"It's fine, really. I insist."

Dean was going to insist that they get their own room, but he sensed she didn't want to be alone tonight, but was too proud to admit it. It had been a really rough hunt for all of them, so he decided to let her have her own way. If he was being completely honest with himself, he would have realized he was concerned about her and wouldn't have felt right leaving her alone.

After Sam finished his third beer, he decided he'd had enough for the night, and climbed into the bed. It didn't matter that Dean and Jessie were talking loudly, he was exhausted both mentally and physically. Once he was comfortable, he fell asleep quickly.

When Jessie opened her sixth beer, Dean did his best to keep her preoccupied so she wouldn't drink it too quickly. She was quite tipsy and he was worried about her. He'd made a promise to Bobby and he intended to keep it, even if Sam had forgotten.

They continued to watch TV, each arguing over what to watch, eventually settling on the local news. When they announced their top story, which was about the missing children and the fire that claimed their lives, Jessie began to cry.

"That was our fault, Dean. That was our fault," she cried, tears falling in waves.

He moved closer to her, grasping her by the shoulders, looking straight into her eyes. "Jessie. That wasn't our fault. It was the vampires, remember?"

She shook her head roughly, near panic. "No, no, it was us. We killed them."

"They were vampires, Jessie," he said calmly.

"But I killed them. I cut their little heads off. Those poor babies."

Dean shook her gently, trying to snap her out of her fit. But she continued to cry and blame it all on herself. He didn't know what possessed him at that moment, he'd only wanted her to calm down, but he pulled her closer, kissing her.

Jessie was so shocked by the kiss, she stopped crying, stopped moving and even stopped breathing for a moment, their lips still pressed together. She was still quite drunk or she would have been able to think of the consequences, stop herself from just seizing the moment, but that's exactly what happened.

Jessie wrapped her arms around Dean, who did the same to her, and kissed him with fervor. Her body automatically reacted to the pleasurable sensations coursing through her body, sensations she hadn't felt in so long. So long ago, it was easy to lose herself in them. It had been too long she'd denied herself the touch of another.

Dean wasn't drunk, but he had been drinking and was no longer thinking, at least not with his brain. He leaned Jessie against the couch, kissing her lips, working his way down to her neck and her chest, then lifted her t-shirt over her head, throwing it aside. He continued to kiss her, pulling off his own shirt. It wasn't long before both of them were naked and Jessie was straddling Dean.

A short time later, Dean was lying on the couch holding Jessie. She was passed out asleep lying across him, while he was awake, contemplating what he'd done. He was filled with remorse and regret for sleeping with her and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Bobby was going to kill him. Sam was going to hate him. And who knew what Jessie was gonna feel towards him when she woke up. He knew it wouldn't be anything good. It took awhile, but eventually he fell into a restless, and uncomfortable sleep.

Sam opened his eyes early in the morning, noticing his brother wasn't in the bed with him. He wondered what that could possibly mean, and if it was a bad thing, or a good thing. If he was a betting man, he would have bet on bad. He just had no idea how right he was.

He climbed out of the bed, looking in the direction of the couch. He noticed that Dean's arm and head were sticking out of one end, but as he glanced the entire length of it, he noticed the legs sticking out of the other end were much smaller and feminine.

_He couldn't have done that_, Sam thought to himself. _There's no way_.

He crept slowly towards the couch, heading towards the end where his brother's arm was sticking out. As he got close enough, he could see what he'd expected—but didn't want to see—and he was upset. His brother was shirtless and so was Jessie, from what he could see. Dean was laying stretched out almost the entire length of the couch, one arm behind his head and the other was placed on Jessie's back. She was laying sideways between his legs, but her upper body was twisted somewhat, almost lying face down against his bare chest, one arm stuck behind him and the couch, the other was wrapped around his upper body. The blanket that was wrapped around them was pulled up as high as her shoulders, but he could see the side of her breast just barely peeking out by her arm.

Sam felt hurt and betrayed by his brother—for so many reasons—but most of all he was angry. Angry that his brother had taken advantage of Jessie while she was so intoxicated and vulnerable. She probably didn't even know what was happening.

He didn't know what to do with himself, his emotions were all over the place. He wanted to yell at his brother—or perhaps punch him out—but he knew that wouldn't do any good. It took him a few moments, but eventually he decided not to wake him. Instead, he freshened up in the bathroom, changed his clothes, packed up his dufflebag and laptop, grabbed the keys to Dean's car from the kitchen table and left the hotel room. He stood by the car in hesitation for a minute, before unlocking it, throwing his dufflebag and laptop inside, then hopped in and took off with no destination in mind.

Jessie began to stir shortly after Sam left the hotel room. She was slightly awake, but she'd kept her eyes closed because her head was pounding painfully. It was only moments before she began to open her eyes and realize she was lying on top of something lumpy and warm. She opened her eyes fully, realizing she was laying on someone. She tried to lift herself up quickly, but her head hurt and the arm that was pinned between the couch and Dean was aching and partially numb.

Her movement woke Dean up, who was so ashamed he didn't want to move, but he had to deal with the consequences sometime. Better to just get it over with. He tried to half sit up, while helping her sit up at the same time. She didn't really want his help—she was angry and horrified—but she couldn't get up without it. Once she managed to sit up, she ripped the blanket out of Dean's grasp to cover her naked body, then turned several shades of pink and red as she glanced at Dean fully nude. He grinned at her embarrassment for a moment, before he remembered it was an inappropriate time.

Jessie opened her mouth to yell at Dean, but she couldn't think of one thing to say that was harsh enough for the moment, except perhaps a string of obcenities. That was until he opened his big mouth.

"I'm sorry, Jessie."

"Are you fuckin' serious?" she spat venomously. "Sorry! That's all you've got to say is, sorry?"

"I'm really sorry, Jessie. I don't know what else I can say," he said, sounding as remorseful as he could.

She shook her head harshly in disbelief. "I can't even decide where to begin," she replied with frustration, on the brink of tears.

The longer she stood in one spot, holding the blanket around her and glaring at him, the more angry and frustrated she became. She sighed deeply, grabbed her dufflebag and ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Jessie began to cry the instant she was in the privacy of the bathroom. She wasn't even sure why she was crying—she hated to cry—but she was sure the headache had something to do with it. She didn't want to think it had anything to do with having sex with Dean, she couldn't even admit to herself that it had happened. She just wanted to close her eyes and go back to sleep, hoping that once she awoke, everything would be like it was before she'd met him and Sam. But she was a realist, and that wasn't going to happen. She decided to stop feeling sorry for herself and jumped in the shower, drowning her cares away for at least a few minutes.

When she was done showering and dressed, she decided it was time to face Dean again. She hesitated at the door for a moment, before walking back into the room. She paused just outside of the doorway, glancing towards the couch where she could see the back of his head. She hoped he'd gotten dressed, she knew she couldn't deal with him if he hadn't.

Dean stood up and turned around, glancing at her with shame. "I can apologize until I'm blue in the face, but I know it won't make up for what I've done."

"Damn right!" she snapped. "It's been almost nine years since I've had sex with anyone and the next time I do, I can't even remember it."

"You don't remember anything at all?"

"No!"

"Is that the only reason you're angry?" he asked tenatively.

"No!" she screamed in reply. "Does it bruise your overly large ego that I don't remember? I guess it was nothing special, huh?"

"Now, now, let's not get nasty," he replied, looking insulted.

She glared at him angrily, while absentmindedly rubbing her right temple. Her head was aching, she felt exhausted and all she wanted to do was sleep. "I need coffee," she said, changing the subject for the moment. She would deal with him when she felt a little better.

"I grabbed you one while you were in the shower," he said, gesturing towards the table.

She glared at him suspiciously, then walked over to the table, sat down, and took the coffee in her hand. "Thank you," she said quietly, then took a sip. "It doesn't let you off the hook though."

Dean walked over to the table hesitantly, before sitting down on the chair across from Jessie. He watched her, looking apologetic, but was at a loss for words. He could have berated her, blamed her for what happened after she'd led him on days before while they waited for pizza, but that would've only made him feel better for a moment. The truth was, he really liked her, despite her often cold and detached attitude. He knew it was her defense mechanism to keep people from getting too close to her. And when he looked deep inside, he realized she wasn't much different than himself in that respect. The most difficult part of the situation for him was that he'd hurt his brother. He knew Sam liked her, even though he hadn't come right out and said it, and he went ahead and slept with her in the same room he was sleeping in anyway. He felt like such an ass. Never in all their years travelling together did the brothers ever get involved with a woman the other one was interested in. He didn't even know how he was going to make it up to him, or even face him.

"Sam's gone," Dean blurted out abruptly, to break the silence.

Jessie gazed at him with concern. "What do you mean, gone?"

"He took all of his stuff—and my car."

"Do you think he'll come back?" she asked hesitantly.

He shrugged his shoulders lightly, looking guilty. "I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" she asked irritated. "Don't you know your brother better than anyone?"

"I tried calling him, but he's got his phone turned off. I have no idea where he might've gone."

"Why did he leave?"

He took a sip of his coffee, making it easier to avoid her piercing gaze. "I pissed him off."

She was about to ask what he'd done, but then it dawned on her. He must have woke up and found her with his brother. Why that would make him upset was a mystery to her, but she didn't know the two of them well enough to figure it out.

"Did you call Bobby?"

"No," he replied guiltily.

"Dammit, Dean, why not?"

He sighed deeply, looking ashamed. "If I call Bobby, than he's going to find out about last night. And if he finds out, he's going to tear me a new one."

She shook her head in disbelief. "You're serious, aren't you? You'd rather your brother be out there somewhere pissed off and alone, than face up to your mistake?" She pulled her phone from her pocket, dialing Bobby's number.

"Hey, Jess. Is anything wrong?"

"I'm not sure yet. Have you heard from Sam?"

"Sam? Isn't he with you?"

"No. But if you hear from him, get him to call me or Dean."

"What's going on, Jess?" he asked concerned.

"I don't have time to discuss it, Bobby. If Sam calls you, let me know. Please."

He sighed. "Will do."

"Thanks, Bobby."

"Be safe," he added before hanging up.

Jessie looked at Dean angrily. "Get your shit together. We're gonna go look for Sam."

Dean hesitated for a moment, before jumping up from the table and started to pack up his stuff. Jessie did the same thing, only it took her a bit longer. Her clothes from the night before were still scattered around the couch. She stooped over to pick them up, her face turning pink in shame. She was glad Dean hadn't been watching, she would've hated for him to know. She was embarrassed enough, without letting on how much so. She'd let her guard down, let herself get close to the Winchester brothers, and now she was paying the price. She'd somehow gotten between them and she wasn't about to let it continue.

"Let's go," she barked at Dean, as she stuffed her remaining clothes into her dufflebag.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he replied, picking up the last of his stuff.

Jessie fumbled with her keys as she left the motel room. She found the right key to unlock her car by the time she reached it. She stopped to look at Dean impatiently, before unlocking the door and jumping in. It took him a moment before he got into the passenger's seat and buckled up.

"Where are we going?" he asked her curiously.

"Well, he hasn't contacted Bobby, so I have an idea where he might've gone," she replied, starting the car.

"Where?"

"Just something I mentioned to him the other day," she replied absentmindedly, concentrating on backing the car up. "It's not far."

Dean kept quiet for a short time. He felt awkward and had no idea what to say. But when a particular annoying song came on the radio, he reached out to change the channel, which earned him a very stern look. "Don't you dare touch my radio."

"But, I..." he stammered.

"My car. My radio," she stated matter-of-factly.

He sighed exaggeratedly, crossing his arms, mumbling under his breath. "I hope it's not far."

She wanted to laugh, but she managed to keep herself from laughing out loud. She didn't want to think he was off the hook that easily.

The next forty five minutes of driving was spent in silence, except for Jessie's singing. Dean found she enjoyed singing to almost any song that came on the radio. He would have liked to say it annoyed him, but he actually thought she had a beautiful singing voice, it was just the choice of music he didn't like.

They'd been in the car almost an hour, when Jessie turned down a country road in a small county. Dean had been quiet almost the entire ride, but he was becoming impatient. It was probably a bad idea, but he decided it was finally time to open his mouth.

"Where are we?"

"Somewhere."

"Why would Sam come out here?"

She glanced over at him for a second, before once again paying attention to the road. "I told Sam about my house the other day. I was telling him how it was my sanctuary, the place I go when I'm feeling lost or out of touch. I thought he might have decided to go there."

"You thought? You mean we've drove an hour away from the last place we knew where Sam was, on a hunch?"

She sighed. "Grab my laptop and open it."  
>Dean grabbed her laptop from the backseat, sat it on his lap and opened it up as she asked.<p>

"See the little camera symbol on the desktop?" He shook his head in response. "Double click that. It'll open a menu with a drop down list. Choose Outside House, main camera."

Dean followed her instructions exactly. Once he'd chosen the option from the drop down menu, it opened a window with a view from a security camera.

"What do you see?" she asked knowingly.

"My car!"

"I told you I knew where he'd be," she said with a smug grin.

He was going to say something sarcastic in response, but before he opened his mouth, he decided against it. It wouldn't be very prudent to antagonize her at the moment, not while he was still walking on thin ice with her. Instead he closed her laptop and set it back on the backseat.

It was only a few minutes later that Jessie turned the car down a long dirt driveway that led to her house. She felt a strange twinge of guilt and sadness run through her, but she pushed it out of her mind for the moment, she could deal with that later. The only thing she had to worry about right now was Sam.

As she pulled the car up near the house, she glanced at Dean warningly. "Let me go and talk to him first." It sounded more like a demand than a suggestion, so he decided not to question her. He just nodded in agreement.

Jessie got out of the car, approaching Sam hesitantly. He was sitting on the front porch, watching her intently. His eyes followed her as she stood beside him, hesitating for a moment before sitting down.

"Are you okay, Sam?"

He pondered her question for a moment, before asking one of his own. "How did you find me?"

"Just a hunch," she stated matter-of-factly. "I told you I'm a good hunter."

He smiled lightly, but it barely touched his eyes. "I see you didn't kill my brother."

"No, but not because I didn't want to," she said, laying a hand on his knee. "Why did you leave, Sam?"

He sighed, looking uncomfortable. "I couldn't bare to see you with my brother."

"Why, Sam? Why did it bother you so much you had to leave?"

"You know why."

"No, Sam, I don't think I do."

He shrugged in defeat, his shoulders slumped forward. "It doesn't matter now, does it?"

"Why wouldn't it matter, Sam? It matters to me."

He took his hand laying it on top of hers, which was still on his knee. He was going to remove her hand, but instead he held it tightly. He tried to gaze into her eyes, but he couldn't, not without remembering her lying naked on top of his brother.

"Sam," she called, when he didn't say anything for a minute.

He sighed, finally able to look at her. "I was angry and hurt. My brother knew—how I felt about you. But obviously he didn't care."

She squirmed uncomfortably, but didn't take her eyes off of him. "And how do you feel about me?"

"I really like you, Jessie. Maybe more...if, well, like I said, it doesn't matter now."

She swallowed hard, fighting the urge to run from her emotions. "I really like you too, Sam," she said, smiling encouragingly. "And what happened between me and your brother, well, it was nothing. I don't even remember it."

He looked down sadly. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"Why?" she asked curiously. "Why doesn't it matter?"

"Dean won. I don't mess with women he's been with. It's just the way things work between us."

She narrowed her eyes in irritation. "So, you're saying you're giving up because Dean took advantage of me while I was drunk? I wasn't even sober enough to make a choice. If I really wanted to be a drama queen, I could even go so far as saying he raped me. Of course I would never be as dramatic as that, but, it's much less idiotic than your attitude."

He looked at her strangely for a moment, then smiled tenatively. "That's quite the pep talk. Showing me how stupid I am then insulting me. Good strategy."

"Did it work?" she asked with a grin.

He laughed for a moment, then hesitated. "You're going to kill me for saying this, but you still remind me so much of Dean."

She narrowed her eyes in mock irritation before smiling. "As long as I got through to you."

"You did," he said with a sheepish smile.

"Good. Then it's time to work things out with your brother," she suggested, though her eyes said it was more of a demand. "Whatever happens, I will not come between you and your brother. The instant that happens, I'll refuse to have anything to do with either one of you. Got it?"

He nodded. "Loud and clear."

"Fine. I'm gonna go in the house and tidy up, while you and your brother talk," she said standing up. She tried to pull her hand away but he held on to it. "And leave the weapons in the car," she grinned.

He smiled, releasing her hand. He watched her unlock the door and walk in, before turning towards the driveway. He wasn't sure how she'd made him feel better, but she had. He still didn't want to face his brother, but he knew he had to at some point.

**A/N: Yup, I did it. But maybe it will end up being a good thing. Maybe? I hope I didn't offend anyone with the swearing. I don't normally use obcenities in my stories, but I believe that situation called for it. **

**So what did you think of this chapter?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Jessie stood inside the house watching the security cameras for awhile. There was no sound, though if she'd wanted to turn the sound on she could have, but she wasn't a snoop. She just wanted to make sure Sam and Dean were talking, and not killing each other. Once she was satisfied they were talking–and not just fighting–she went upstairs and began to change the sheets and pillowcases on all of the beds.

A few tears fell as she changed the sheets in her grandfather's old room, just as they always did. The house was her only sanctuary from the craziness of the world, and it was the only place she'd ever felt safe since she was ten. It was the only place she could be herself, her old self. But she was worried what bringing the Winchesters into her sanctuary might mean to her. She wasn't ready to completely let her guard down just yet. Especially after everything that had happened.

She was gathering up all the sheets and pillowcases into a laundry basket, when she heard the front door open and close. She hoped it meant the brothers had worked things out, she didn't want to get in the middle of it–again–but she would if she had to. She didn't know Sam or Dean very well, but she did know how much they cared for each other. Anyone who'd ever heard of them knew. Their relationship was almost as legendary as their exploits.

She carried the laundry basket down the stairs, carefully listening. It seemed quiet, almost too quiet. She lugged the basket through the livingroom and into the kitchen, where Sam and Dean were sitting at the table. "There's stuff to drink in the fridge. Help yourselves," she said as she continued carrying the basket through the kitchen, to a door on the other side of the kitchen. She set the basket down, opened the door, then slid the basket through the door with her foot, then closed it. She turned to the brothers feeling lilke she needed to explain. "I'm not in the mood to do laundry right now."

Sam and Dean both shifted uncomfortably in their seats, avoiding Jessie's gaze as well as each other's.

"What's going on?" she asked them with irritation. "Am I gonna have to kick your asses, or what?"

Sam looked down, while Dean chuckled, mumbling. "As if."

"You sure you want to test me, Dean? I'm still angry enough with you. I wouldn't mind kicking your ass." He looked at her defiantly for a moment, before backing down.

"Fine, but you do know you're both staying here for awhile, don't you?"

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Well, you see it's like this," she said with an unusal look. "You wanted to stick your noses into my life, find out more about me, so that's what's going to happen." The brothers glanced at each other uneasily. "We're gonna hang at my place for a couple of days. Until we find something to hunt that is."

"I need a vacation anyway," Dean joked.

She eyed him angrily for a moment, before she decided to ignore his remark. "I'm gonna head into town for a few to grab some food. I've always got tons of non-perishables, but I don't have any fresh foods in the house. Help yourselves to whatever, but stay out of the alcohol...and my underwear drawer." Both of the brothers laughed, but Dean felt uncomfortable because she seemed to be looking straight at him when she'd made the underwear remark.

The drive into town took about twenty minutes. It wasn't a small town, but it wasn't very big either. It was the town she most felt comfortable in, and the only one she actually knew people. Jessie had a lot of time to think on the way there and while she was busy shopping, she even ran into a few old friends from high school. She didn't stay to talk for long. She wanted to get back home.

She was setting the groceries into her trunk when her cell phone went off. "Hey, Bobby."

"What's going on? Did you find Sam?"

"Yeah, we're all over at my place now."

"What?"

"Don't worry, Bobby. We're just going to hang at my place a few days and get to know each other. You were the one who suggested that, right?"

"I was. But aren't you pushing things a little too quickly? Small steps, Jess."

"After last night I can't afford to take small steps."

"Jess—"

"I'm okay, Bobby."

"Come on, kid. I know you too well."

"I'll explain things later. Bye, Bobby."

"Take care of yourself, Jess."

Jessie pocketed her phone, then headed back to her house. She had even more thoughts running through her head on the way back from town. Just talking to Bobby brought up memories she hadn't thought about in a long time. She wasn't sure it was a good idea to jump right into everything so quickly, but what did she have to lose?

When she arrived back at her place, Dean and Sam came outside the moment she pulled the car up to the house and helped her carry everything inside. Once everything was inside, they also helped her put everything away. She rewarded them by making a quick lunch, since nobody had really eaten anything yet.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Dean asked smirking, as he set his sandwich aside.

Jessie smiled sarcastically. "Well, first of all, I'm gonna wipe that smug smile off your face, if you don't." The smile disappeared from his face quickly, making Sam smirk lightly. "And then, I thought I'd let the both of you decide what to talk about."

Dean and Sam looked at each other questioningly, neither knowing quite what to say. Eventually, Dean was the one who broke the awkward silence.

"Why don't you tell us about the time our dad saved you?" he asked hesitantly.

It wasn't the story she was expecting to tell, but she should have expected it. She bit her lip for a moment, took a deep breath, steadying herself. She looked at the space between the brothers, seeing past them as if looking into the past. "I was only ten years old. John had been to visit a few times in the days before, but I'd never actually met him. Like any young child, I snooped in on their conversations, when they didn't catch me." She grinned for a quick moment, then went on. "My parents sent me to bed early that night. I still have no idea why, but I always figured it was because they were expecting John. It was dark, but I wasn't tired so I sat in my bed playing with my stuffed animals. It wasn't long before I heard my mom screaming from the livingroom. She was screaming my father's name, but he told her to get me to safety. She never got away, because she let out the most blood curdling scream I'd ever heard." She paused for a moment, fighting back tears that were beginning to build in her eyes. "After that, everything went completely silent. I was shaking so much, but I took my favorite stuffed dog and hid underneath my bed, just like my parents had taught me to do. I was as quiet as I could, laying on the floor, watching from under my bed. Then I saw feet appear at the doorway. I held my breath, but almost right after that, I heard two gunshots and someone–something– fell to the floor. I was still too scared to move, even when your father came in the room calling my name. I recognized his voice, but for all I knew, he was gonna come kill me too." She paused again, fighting back tears, shaking slightly. "He knew the safety word, the one my parent's told me if anyone ever tried to help me, they would know. So I came out from under my bed, tears in my eyes. I still remember exactly what he said to me. 'Hi, Jessie, my name's John Winchester. I'm a friend of your mom and dad. I'm going to take you to your grandparent's house.' I remember asking him why, but he only smiled supportively and held me against his shoulder. He tried to keep me from seeing my parents' bodies as he took me out of the house, but I was able to see. That's the one thing I regret. I wish I'd never seen their mangled bodies lying there, their limbs in odd positions, blood everywhereš–the blank look in their eyes." Her voice began to crack, so she stopped speaking, afraid to trust herself to keep her composure any longer.

"I'm so sorry, Jessie," Sam said sympathetically.

"Thank you, Sam," she replied sadly. "I can no longer remember what my parents looked like before that night, except when I see them in pictures."

"I'm sorry too," Dean said honestly. She nodded in understanding. She knew he'd seen his own mother killed in a similarly horrific way.

"How was lunch?" she asked, standing up from the table abruptly.

"It was delicious, thank you," Dean said. Sam nodded in agreement. "Yes, thank you."

She cleaned up the table, stacking the dishes neatly on the counter. "Now that I've tidied up, why don't the two of you follow me upstairs so I can show you which rooms you'll be sleeping in?"

The brothers nodded in agreement, following her upstairs. She showed them to their rooms, allowing them to put their stuff away, while she waited. When they came back into the hallway, she looked at them wearily. "I'm tired and my head still hurts, so I'm gonna go lay down for awhile. You're welcome to do whatever you want." She glanced at Dean. "I have a satellite, so you can watch whatever you want." She turned to Sam. "You can use my computers, but just a fair warning," she said smirking. "No matter how hard you try, I'll know whatever you did on it, so...no looking at porn."

"I don't do that," Sam protested, glancing at his brother.

She laughed lightly. "But seriously now, make yourselves at home. And if I'm not up by five, someone come wake me, please? We have plans."

"We do?" Dean looked at her curiously.

"Yup," she said with a light smile. "Did you think I was gonna keep you prisoner here, or what?"

The brothers passed each other questioning looks, but said nothing.

"If that's all," she said as she turned around, walking into her bedroom and closing the door behind her.

Jessie woke up shortly after four, feeling slightly better than she had before her nap. Her headache was completely gone, but she still felt a little lethargic. She laid in bed for a short time just thinking, before she climbed out of bed and began looking for some fresh clothes.

She rooted around in her dresser and closet, trying to figure out what she was going to wear. Normally she could care less what she wore, when she was hunting it had to be comfortable and not restrictive, but this wasn't one of those times. She always liked to dress more like a woman whenever she visited the place she was taking the Winchesters tonight, especially on a Tuesday night.

She finally settled on her favorite strapless, knee length, leopard print dress, fishnet stockings and short, black leather jacket. She also had matching leopard print, shin high boots, but they were downstairs in the closet.

Once she was finished dressing, she went into the bathroom and quickly gave herself a partial updo. The hair on the back of her head was up in a neat, curly mass on the top of her head, while the sides hung down in loose curls. She played with her hair, until she was completely satisfied with it, then put on a little bit of make up. She hated wearing it, so she used it very sparingly. Just enough to highlight her eyes and cheekbones, and a bit of concealer for a blemish she had on her forehead.

It was shortly after five when she was finally ready to come out of the bathroom. She stopped at the top of the stairs, preparing herself to go downstairs. She knew, if not both of them, Dean would eye her up and down. She wasn't looking forward to it, but it was inevitable. The amusing part for her was that she wasn't getting dressed up for him, or even Sam.

She walked down the stairs carefully, making sure her stocking feet didn't slip on the hardwood stairs, then stopped at the bottom in front of the closet. She squatted down, searching through the several pairs of shoes and boots, looking for her leopard boots. She finally found them at the back of the closet, hidden behind a taller pair of boots. She took them out, brushing off a little bit of dust that was on them, then sat on the stairs and put them on.

With her boots on, she was ready to find Sam and Dean. She walked into the livingroom to find Dean sitting on the couch watching TV. He was surprised when she walked in, doing a double take, his mouth open slightly.

"Wow," he said quietly in surprise. "You clean up nicely."

"Well, thank you, Dean. I guess that's a compliment, since you've seen me naked," she answered sarcastically.

He looked uncomfortably for a moment, but kept his mouth shut.

"I'm guessing Sam's in the computer room," she remarked.

"Yup."

"If you want to get changed, you'd better do it now. We're leaving in a few," she said while walking away. She heard him make a comment, but she couldn't make out what he'd said so she ignored it. She knew it was probably something she didn't want to hear anyway.

She walked into the computer room, stopping behind Sam, who was seated in front of her main computer which had three monitors.

"This room is amazing, Jessie," he said in awe.

"I majored in computer technology, what did you expect?" she teased.

He smiled, then turned around, laying his eyes on her for the first time since she'd walked in. He was shocked by her appearance, he hadn't been expecting her to be dressed up. "You look beautiful," he said hesitantly, afraid to insult her.

"Thank you, Sam," she answered with a smile. "We're going out. So if you want to get changed or anything you should do it now."

He stood up quickly and left the room without another word, while Jessie sat down in the chair, checking out her computer. A few clicks proved he hadn't messed with her security system or sent any red flags to her antivirus program, which was all she was worried about. She didn't really care what he was doing online. She set her computer in sleep mode, then headed back into the livingroom to wait for the boys, where she sat on the couch hoping they wouldn't take too long.

Dean was the first to come down the stairs. She looked him over as he walked into the livingroom. He was wearing what looked like a new pair of black jeans, with his usual t-shirt, button up shirt and jacket. He'd polished up his boots, they were much shinier than usual. He sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Jessie, still wary of her wrath. He knew she was still angry with him–which he didn't blame her for–so he didn't push his luck by sitting any closer.

"Sam might be awhile, he's almost as bad as a woman when it comes to getting ready to go out," he joked with a smirk.

She narrowed her eyes, pretending to be offended for a moment, then grinned. "It didn't take me too long to get ready."

"That's because you have natural beauty. Sam has to work at it."

She laughed. "And you just don't care, right?"

"Ha, ha," he laughed mockingly.

"You don't like it when someone's as much of a smart ass as you are, do you?"

"I think you're stretching when you say, as much of a smart ass," he grinned coyly.

"Okay. I guess I should've said, a better smart ass, right?" she retorted, grinning triumphantly.

He rolled his eyes, thinking of something sarcastic to say, but Sam walked into the livingroom interrupting his thoughts. He was wearing a pair of dress black pants, a dark gray dress shirt and a jacket. He'd also shined up his boots as well. Jessie looked him up and down, perhaps longer than she should have, until she realized she was staring.

"You boys clean up pretty nicely yourselves," she said, standing up. "By the way, Dean, you're driving."

Dean took that as his cue to leave. He stood up from the couch quickly and left, his keys dangling in his hand. Jessie walked over to Sam, who'd begun to follow his brother, she laid her hand on his back lightly. He stopped, turning towards her.

"Did the two of you talk while I was resting?" she asked.

"We did, actually."

"And?"

He smiled lightly. "Everything's okay. We worked it out."

She nodded her head and smiled, then took his hand and pulled him towards the door. She released the grip on his hand as they reached the doorway. She let him walk out first, so she could lock the door and set the alarm. He waited at the bottom of the porch for her, then walked with her to Dean's car. He looked at her strangely for a moment, then climbed into the backseat, allowing her to get into the front.

She turned around to glance at him, smiling appreciatively. "Thanks, Sam. I didn't want to try and climb into the back wearing this."

"No problem."

She answered him with a smile, then turned to Dean. "Take a left at the end of the driveway and keep going until we get into town. I'll let you know where to go from there."

He grinned sarcastically. "Yes, ma'am."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but grinned at the same time.

Things were quiet inside the car for a few minutes, except for the radio, which was turned down low. Both brothers were wondering where she was taking them and why, but neither seemed to want to ask. Until Sam finally got tired of the growing silence.

"Where are we going, Jessie?"

Dean glanced at his brother in the rearview mirror, grinning in expectation. He was hoping she was going to talk to Sam like she always did to him.

"I thought I would take you to one of the only places in the world I ever act like my old self."

The answer seemed to satisfy Sam, since he didn't follow up with another question, however, Dean was still curious. But he decided to keep his mouth shut.

As they drove through the small town, Jessie directed Dean down one of the side streets, stopping in front of a large establishment called; Frank's restaurant and bar. She grinned in delight as she climbed out of the passenger side, waiting for the brothers.

"I expect you to behave yourselves," she said, looking more at Dean than Sam. "I've known some of the people here since I was young. So if you embarrass me..." she trailed off, leaving the rest of the sentence to be filled in by their imaginations. The brothers shared a knowing glance, before following her into the restaurant.

The Winchesters followed Jessie to a table close to the bar, which was on the far end of the room. She placed her purse on one of the chairs and directed them to sit, while she walked up to the bar.

"What's a lady gotta do to get service around here?" she asked loudly, looking towards the door in the back of the bar.

A tall, dark haired man walked through the door, smiling brightly at her. "Jessie!" he called loudly, walking around the bar. He approached her quickly, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tightly, nearly lifting her off the floor. "It's so good to see you, honey!"

She smiled happily at him. "It's good to see you too, Mike. How are you?"

"I'm good. What about you? You know I always worry about you."

She touched his arm lightly. "And I always say the same thing, you shouldn't worry about me."

He looked past her for a moment, noticing the men sitting at the table where her purse was hanging. "Who're those guys?" he asked, gesturing towards the Winchesters.

"They're friends. Come on," she said, taking his hand and dragging him towards the table. "Sam, Dean. This is my old friend, Mike."

"Don't forget ex-boyfriend," he said with a laugh, shaking each of their hands.

"Don't listen to him," she said to the brothers. "We dated back in the sixth grade."

"Oh, so you must know her pretty well then?" Dean asked with a smirk.

"Yup, that I do," he replied, glancing at her teasingly. "But if I say anything I shouldn't, she'll kick my ass."

She slapped him playfully on the arm. "You better get back to work before Gina finds out you're slacking."

He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, still smiling widely. "Definitely. I'll send three beers your way in a minute," he said as he began to walk away. But before he got too far, he turned, looking at her strangely. "Are you singing tonight?"

She laughed. "It's Tuesday, isn't it?" He nodded with a grin, then walked back behind the bar. She sat down at the table, sitting across from the brothers, smiling.

Dean looked at her as if he had something to say, not sure if he should. He could tell by the look on her face that she was expecting him to say something. "I know you're probably gonna hate me for this, but it's nice to see you smile so easily, Jessie."

It wasn't what she'd expected him to say, it caught her off guard. "Uh, thanks?" she stammered, not sure what to say.

He grinned, slightly delighted by her speechlessness. "Now, what's this about singing?"

A waitress walked up to the table at that moment, placing three beers down in front of each of them, then took out a pad of paper and a pen. "Are y'all ready to order?" she asked, staring at Dean with a flirtatious smile.

"Not yet, Betsy," Jessie answered with irritation.

"Oh my god, Jessie!" she exclaimed. "It's so nice to see you."

"Can you give us a few minutes, please?" she asked flatly.

"Sure," she replied, bouncing away with a smile.

Jessie looked at Dean seriously. "I know you're a big boy, but you don't want to mess around with her. Trust me."

He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously for a moment, but something in her look told him she was being honest, with no hint of jealousy. He nodded his head, then picked up a menu.

"Order whatever you want, guys," she said absentmindedly, while glancing around the room.

Betsy reappeared at the table a few minutes later to take their order. Jessie let the boys order first, then she ordered. The waitress was about to leave, but she glanced at her, speaking hesitantly. "Gina wanted me to tell you to behave tonight, Jessie. She doesn't want any fighting this time."

Jessie grinned, biting her tongue. "Tell her not to worry about me."

Betsy opened her mouth to say something, but thought twice about it. Instead she left to place their orders. Jessie laughed as soon as she was gone.

"Fighting, huh?" Dean remarked with a grin.

She smiled at Sam, who was watching her with an odd expression, then glanced back at Dean. "The last time wasn't really my fault," she explained. "Some douchebag decided to beat up on his girl, so I showed him what it was like to be beat up on."

"Was that the only time?" Dean asked.

"No, but I'm not the one who starts them. I just finish them."

Dean was about to ask more, but the waitress brought their appetizers to the table and he couldn't resist stuffing his face as quickly as possible, he was starving.

The three of them made small talk while eating their appetizers and after their meals arrived, but Jessie had noticed Mike had been watching her as if he had something to say. She got up from the table and sat at the bar in front of him.

"What's going on, Mike?" she asked bluntly. "It seems like you have something to say."

He glanced around before leaning close to her, speaking quietly. "Not here. I'll come sit with you in five minutes."

She nodded, heading back to the table promptly. She began to pick at her food, but something in the way Mike had spoken to her made her worry.

"Is something wrong?" Sam asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she replied, continuing to pick at her food. She picked at it until Mike finally sat beside her a few minutes later.

"Is it cool to talk in front of them?" he asked with concern.

She looked at him strangely. "Yeah, they're cool."

Mike glanced around the room quickly, leaning closer to her. "Dennis won't be by to cut your grass anymore, Jess. He was found dead on his porch two weeks ago."

She looked at him horrified. "What happened?"

He glanced around nervously once again. "Look, I'm not supposed to know this, so you have to promise not to tell anyone."  
>"Of course not, Mike. You should know me better than that."<p>

He nodded nervously. "His body was mangled like a wild animal had attacked him, but he was missing his heart."

"What?" she exclaimed quietly. "Are you sure?"

He nodded, glancing around. "Only a few people know the truth. They didn't even print it in the papers."

"I'll look into it, Mike. I swear."

He nodded as he stood up, placing his hand on her shoulder lightly. "Thank you, Jess," he said as he walked back to the bar.

Jessie looked at Sam and Dean sharply. "He's the only one here who knows I'm a hunter, so let's keep it that way."

"No problem here," Dean replied quickly.

She rolled her eyes, before gazing at Sam sadly. "Two weeks ago, it fits the lunar cycle, but it's strange. Why only one person attacked?"

"I don't know, but we can look into it," he replied.

"We?" she replied, looking questioningly. "I don't know."

"Jessie—"

"It's okay, Sam. We'll talk about this later," she interrupted. "We're not here to talk about any of this tonight." He nodded, gazing at his brother knowingly.

She pushed her plate of food across the table in front of Dean. "If you're still hungry..."

He grinned widely. "Only if you're not going to finish it."

She smiled, shaking her head. "No," she replied, then stood up. "Be right back. She walked across the room where a mass of people were hanging out, talking, moving about. She was there for a minute, before heading back to the table.

"It's Karaoke nights on Tuesdays, boys," she said with a grin. "That's what Mike meant about singing."

Dean narrowed his eyes, grinning. "No way in hell you'll catch me singing Karaoke."

Jessie glanced at him laughing, then to Sam, who was laughing at his brother as well. She winked at Dean, grinning slyly. "That's okay, you won't beat me anyway."

"What do you mean, beat you?" he asked quickly.

"There's a cash prize for the best singer, and I don't often lose," she replied confidently.

"Sorry sweetheart, my game is poker or pool, manly games."

She laughed loudly, grinning. "For one thing, _Dean_, I could probably wipe the table with you at both of those games, and secondly, don't _ever_ call me sweetheart again, or you'll be eating through a straw." Sam laughed, while Dean gave her a sour look.

"One of these days you're going to have to put your money where your mouth is, Jessie," Dean said with an arrogant smile.

"You're on," she replied with a wink. "Betsy," she called as she was walking by. The waitress stopped, waiting. "Bring this man some pie," she demanded, pointing to Dean.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to bribe me," he remarked with a grin. Sam gave him a warning look, but she laughed, flipping her hair aside, then walked across the room.

Sam and Dean's eyes both followed her, until the pie showed up, then Dean gave his complete attention to eating. The instant he was finished, and he'd set his fork down, Sam grabbed him by the arm, pulling him across the room. They sat near the very back of the crowd gathered around the Karaoke equipment, neither of them were too keen on Karaoke, but they were interested in hearing Jessie sing, even though Dean had already heard her singing in the car.

Several women and men sang horrible renditions of songs, most of them were drunk and could barely sing the words, even with them on the screen in front of them. Dean rolled his eyes several times, wanting to gouge his ears out. Sam felt very much the same way, but he was eager to hear Jessie sing. There were a few decent singers afterwards, but none were as good as Jessie was. Even the way she stepped up to the microphone seemed professional, but her voice was even better. Her voice was so beautiful and melodic, everyone in the bar quieted down to listen until she was finished. The crowd erupted in loud applause, Dean and Sam included. A couple of other singers followed after her. They weren't too bad, but they weren't as good as she was. When those singers were finished, it was time for the DJ to announce the winner of the hundred dollar cash prize. It was Jessie.

She walked up on the stage smiling brightly, accepting her prize graciously. While she was walking off of the stage, a slightly drunk woman approached her. "Why do you always win? Are you fuckin' the DJ or something?"

Jessie's smiled quickly disappeared, replaced by an angry scowl. "You better sit your stupid, drunk ass down, Marie, or I'm gonna shut your piehole for you."

"I'm not afraid of you, Jessie. Never have been," she said, suddenly throwing the beer from her glass in Jessie's face.

Jessie wiped the beer out of her eyes, then ran at Marie. Her boyfriend stood up between them, but she was too angry to stop herself. She swung at the man, punching him in the face, which sent him flying backwards. A couple of the man's friends stood up to defend him, people around were scattering, trying to get out of the way, while Dean and Sam were trying to get between her and the two men. She swung, punching the one man in the face, then swung around the other way in one quick move, hitting him squarely in the chest with an outstretched arm, both of them flew backwards hitting the floor. The boyfriend of the woman had managed to stand back up holding a broken beer bottle. He was staring at Jessie with rage. She stood still glaring at him, until he tried to slice her with the bottle. She dodged the blow, kicking him in the chest, which sent him flying backwards again. The bouncers had come to stop the fight, holding on to the two friends of the man, and another had approached Jessie hesitantly, but Dean and Sam reached her first. They grabbed a hold of her, dragging her backwards. She shrugged them off, glaring at the bouncers, then turned around, grabbed her purse and walked out the door.

**A/N: So do you think everything is ok with Sam and Dean now? Or is this the beginning of something? And while I've had comments that Jessie is like the female version of Dean, who knows if he's ever been in a bar fight. I just thought that was an interesting touch. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Well, that was fun," Dean said sarcastically, as they stood outside his Impala. He glanced at Jessie, who was glaring at him.

"Just unlock the car, Dean," Sam said impatiently.

"No, Sam," Jessie said. "If he's got something to say, I'd like to hear it."

Dean turned to face her, a slight grin on his face. "Actually, I wanted to tell you how much fun tonight was."

"More fun than last night?" she asked harshly.

He swallowed hard, averting his gaze. She was obviously in a mood and he didn't want to start a fight he wasn't in the mood for. He unlocked the car doors, jumping inside in a hurry.

Sam opened the passenger side, climbing into the backseat again, while Jessie sat in the front. Nothing was said the entire ride back to her house, or on the way into the house. But once they were inside, Jessie turned to the boys, looking apologetic. "I'm really sorry about tonight."

"Why are you sorry?" Dean asked. "It ended in a fight, big deal. You kicked ass."

She grinned. "Yeah, I guess I did." She set her purse down, walking into the kitchen. She reappeared a minute later, handing both of the boys a beer. "Sit down, take a load off."

"Aren't you gonna have a beer with us?" Sam asked curiously.

"Yeah, but I'll be right back," she said, heading upstairs. She went into her bedroom, changing into a black pair of yoga pants and a white t-shirt, then into the bathroom, letting her hair down. She brushed it vigorously, until it was straight again, then put it into a tight pony tail. She cleaned her face thoroughly, making sure all the make up was off of her face, before going back downstairs.

Dean and Sam were sitting on the couch in the livingroom talking when she walked in. They became quiet, watching her walk into the kitchen for a moment, before reappearing with a beer. She sat on the couch between the brothers, took a swig of her beer, then sighed deeply.

"What a night," she remarked to no one in particular.

"Yeah," Dean said in agreement. Sam only smiled at her.

She gazed at Sam questioningly. "Do you have something you want to say to me, Sam?"

"Yeah," he replied with a smile. "You have a beautiful voice, Jessie."

"Thank you, Sam," she replied blushing slightly. She had expected him to say something else.

"Is that how you make your money?" Dean asked curiously.

She laughed. "No. There isn't a lot of money to be made that way. But I enjoy singing in public. Winning money is just a bonus."

He studied her for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. "Where do you get your money?"

She pondered his question for a moment, giving him a curious look. "Is this an interrogation?"

"No, not at all. I was just curious."

She smirked."Actually, it's all honestly earned, unlike yours," she said pointing at Dean.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked defensively.

"Dean," Sam called. "She didn't mean anything by it."

She glanced at Sam, smirking. "You don't have to stop your brother from making an idiot out of himself. I rather enjoy it." She looked at Dean, smirking widely. "My parents had honest jobs after they quit hunting, for over fifteen years. They had a house, insurance policies. I'm more than set for life—well, this life anyway."

Dean looked at her uncomfortably. "I didn't mean to...nevermind."

"It's fine, Dean. Didn't I say I'd tell you about my life?" she paused a moment, thinking. "Or were you upset about what I said?"

"Upset? Me? Nah," he replied nonchalantly.

She smiled. "I'm not one to judge, Dean. I've done enough things in this life to be ashamed of. As long as you're not robbing little old ladies or kids for their lunch money, I could really care less." Sam and Dean both laughed.

She set her beer down on the table, stretching slightly. "I'm gonna excuse myself for now boys," she said, standing up. "I've got some work to do on my computer before I go to bed."

The boys watched her walk across the livingroom and into the computer room, closing the door behind her. Sam immediately looked at his brother with a worried expression.

"What is it, Sam?"

"I don't know, Dean. There's something weird going on here."

"You mean with only one werewolf kill during the week before the full moon, or because it was out in the middle of nowhere?"

"Both, actually. It doesn't seem like the usual pattern."

"You're worried about her, aren't you, Sam?"

"Yeah, actually I am Dean," he replied harshly. "Don't you find it strange how the same werewolf hunted her entire family down?"

"I do, Sam, but what're we gonna do? She's gonna go after whatever it is alone just as she always does, no matter what we say."

"Are you saying we shouldn't at least try, Dean?" he asked angrily. "So she was good enough to sleep with but not help? Is that what you're saying?"

"We're back to this now are we? I made a mistake. Are you going to keep punishing me for it?" Sam looked at him with frustration but said nothing. "You've got it bad for her, don't you?"

"That's not the point, Dean," he replied with a steely glare. "How I feel has no relevance to what's going on. We promised Bobby to look out for her. Are you saying you want to break your promise to him?"

"No, of course not. But I don't remember volunteering to be a damn babysitter."

He laughed at his brother incredulously. "Babysitter, huh? I think she's more than capable of looking after herself, Dean."

"You're probably right, Sam. So why are you so worried about her?"

He shook his head, sighing loudly. "Just forget it, Dean." He set his beer bottle on the table, still shaking his head. "I'm going to bed," he said, then left upstairs without another word.

Dean sighed, watching his brother leave in a huff. He wasn't sure why his brother was so concerned about Jessie. She'd taken care of herself for so long without their help and she'd made it pretty clear she preferred to hunt alone. But still, his brother was upset and he figured it wasn't just because he had some sort of feelings for her. His intuition was usually right. He finished his beer then headed upstairs to bed as well.

Jessie was busy searching for more information about Dennis' death on her computer. She was so wrapped in her research she was completely unaware of the Winchesters arguing in the livingroom, not that she would have cared. Her mind was often single minded when she was on a hunt, nothing else mattered. This one was personal though, which made her even more determined to find out what was going on.

She searched for two hours, but ran into dead ends everywhere she turned. Even hacking into the local police department's computer system didn't get her any extra information about Dennis' death. All it proved was that there had been no other strange deaths nearby, not in the past two weeks. When she finally realized she wasn't going to get any further on her computer, she decided it was time to go to Dennis' house.

She opened the door to the livingroom, expecting to find Dean or Sam, but was suprised to find neither of them. She was actually relieved, she wanted to go to Dennis' house alone. She picked up the beer bottles from the coffee table and took them in to the kitchen, turning off the lights, then doing the same when she went back into the livingroom. She quietly walked up to her bedroom, put on her favorite shoes–which she'd left up there earlier–then headed back downstairs into the livingroom. She walked along side the wall beside the stairs, feeling for a hidden button on top of the trim, which triggered a door to open under the stairs. Inside the hidden room were various weapons, ammunition and other miscellaneous hunting equipment. She took out a shotgun, shotgun shells full of silver buckshot and silver bullets for her hand gun. She was about to lock the room back up, when she decided to grab an extra knife. After her last encounter with a werewolf, she needed all the help she could get. She wasn't even sure why she was being so precautious, there was still a week before it would be the right time in the lunar cycle, but it never hurt to be ready.

After closing the door to the secret room, she turned around to find a tall figure standing in the darkness in front of her. Startled, she almost swung her knife at him, but deep down she knew it was only Sam.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered harshly.

"I'm going with you," he whispered back.

She sighed, but she wasn't in the mood to argue with him. "Just don't get in my way," she whispered, grabbing her keys from her purse. Sam nodded, following her out the door. He walked to the car while she set the alarm, waiting. He immediately jumped in when she unlocked the door. She threw the shotgun into the back of the car, and retrieved her hand gun from a hidden spot in the middle seat. She loaded the gun before she drove off towards Dennis' house.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, Sam," she said after they'd left her driveway and were on the main road.

"You didn't wake me. I was still up waiting for you."

"Waiting for me?" she asked with surprise.

"I knew you were gonna go to Dennis' house tonight."

She snorted. "What are you, psychic?"

"No," he answered quickly, looking insulted. "I could tell by the look on your face when Mike told you about Dennis, you weren't going to let it go."

"You're a hunter, Sam. Would you let it go?"

"Definitely not."

She smiled as she pulled the car off the main road, onto a short laneway that led to a small house that looked similar to Jessie's, only there were no barred windows, or high tech security system. Both Sam and Jessie grabbed their weapons, double checking they were loaded properly before they even took a step out of the car. She popped open the glove compartment, handing Sam a flashlight, while she grabbed one for herself.

They approached the porch slowly, while carefully scanning the area, stopping when they reached a dark stained spot. Jessie raised her hand to her mouth for a moment, looking sadly. "Dennis was a good man. He didn't deserve this."

Sam laid a supportive hand on her back for a moment, before walking over to the door. He twisted the knob easily, glancing back at Jessie. "It's unlocked."

She nodded her head in acknowledgement, following him inside. They separated once inside. Sam took the upstairs, while Jessie looked around the main floor of the house. She snooped through his mail, in the drawers of his desk and anything else she thought might have something interesting in it, but nothing led her to any clues.

On a hunch, she checked the caller ID on his phone and the last numbers he'd dialed. She was surprised when she saw that the very last number he'd called was her home phone. So much had happened to her in the last couple of weeks, it had made her forget things. She could almost kick herself for not checking it sooner.

She was about to check it with her cell phone, when Sam wandered back downstairs. She figured it could wait until she got home.

"Did you find anything?" she asked curiously.

He shook his head. "Nothing. What about you?"

"Not much, just something on his caller ID," she replied absentmindedly. She was too busy wondering what Dennis could have called about to notice the expectant look on Sam's face.

"Jessie," Sam called after waiting for her to elaborate. "What is it?"

"Nothing," she replied shortly. "Let's go."

She didn't hesitate even a split second as she walked out of the house, not bothering to see if Sam was following her. She was already in the car waiting, before he even walked out of the house. She sighed impatiently, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel of the car waiting for him. He walked up to the window on the driver's side of the car, waiting for her to roll down the window. "What, Sam?"

"Did you check to see if the cops took his security footage?" he asked, pointing up to a camera slightly concealed by the front door.

She looked at him with an indecipherable look for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Sam. I'm the one that installed the damn thing and I didn't even think about it."

"Should I grab his computer?" he asked, ignoring her comment.

"No, it's fine. I can grab it remotely from my computer at home. Get in."

Sam hurriedly jumped into the passenger side of the car, as Jessie began to drive off before he'd barely even closed the door. Her mind was too preoccupied to make small talk, even though Sam tried to ask her a few questions on the drive back to her house. He gave up after being ignored.

Once they were back at her house, Jessie immediately headed to her phone, dialing the voicemail. Sam was standing beside her, waiting expectantly while she listened. He watched while the expression on her face change to shock and surprise. He was going to ask her what the message was about, but she hung the receiver up and ran into the computer room without hesitation.

Sam stayed where he was for a moment, trying to decide if he should follow her, since it seemed she didn't want his company. He flip flopped on the decision for a minute, before finally deciding to follow her into the computer room. He had a feeling this was one of those moments she needed company, whether she knew it herself or not.

Jessie glanced at him quickly when he walked in, but she was too busy with her computer to worry about him. She hurriedly clicked a bunch of things with her mouse, which were almost a complete blur to Sam because she was so quick. He continued to watch in interest as she gained remote control of Dennis' computer, opening several files, until she came to a locked folder that needed a password. She stared at it for a few moments, before raising her hand to her face in frustration.

"What did the message say, Jessie?" Sam finally asked.

She sighed loudly, removing her hand from her face. "He said, 'check my computer when you get this message'. I don't even know why he didn't call my cell phone. He knew the number."

"I guess we'll know once we see what's in those files."

She glanced into Sam's eyes at that moment, suddenly feeling calm and relaxed. She smiled lightly, turning back to the screen and typed in what she hoped was the password. A second later, the file opened, revealing several video files. She grinned excitedly for a moment, then opened the file that was dated from the day of his death.

Jessie skimmed through the video, while Sam sat beside her, watching as well. She sped up the video slightly, but not too much, she didn't want to miss anything. They'd been watching for almost an hour, when she suddenly cried out, "What the hell was that?" Sam had thought he'd noticed something as well, but he couldn't be sure.

Jessie backed the video up slightly, playing it again, only at a lower speed this time. Seconds later they both saw what they had thought they'd seen.

"There is no way," Jessie exclaimed breathlessly. "It can't be."

"What is it, Jessie?" Sam asked with concern.

She ignored him for a few moments, speeding up the footage again. When she came across a better image of what she'd seen, she paused it.

"It's a werewolf," Sam stated.

"I know, Sam. One that I killed a few months ago," she replied, shaking her head. "How is this possible?"

"I guess you didn't kill it."

"I did, Sam. I know I did," she said becoming irate. "Of all the werewolves, I made sure that bastard was dead. What the hell is going on?"

He looked confused for a moment, putting the pieces together in his head. When he realized what she meant, he took her hand in his, gazed into her eyes, speaking in a calm, soothing voice. "Are you talking about the werewolf who killed your family?"

"Yes, that's him," she replied, looking lost. "I know I killed him, Sam. How could he have killed Dennis only two weeks ago?"

"I don''t know, Jessie. But I swear we'll help you find out," he said with determination.

Something in Sam's tone of voice helped to calm her down, even though she was ready to explode. She was incredibly confused, angry and upset, and all she wanted to do was lash out. She wanted to tell Sam to go away, leave and never come back, but she couldn't, not now. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she needed his help–and Dean's–whether she wanted it or not.

She was about to stand up from her chair, but Sam held on to her hand, even as she pulled away. She gave him a weary look, about to protest, but he didn't allow her to get that far as he stood up, pulling her to a stand, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.

Jessie was stunned at first as she lay her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around him hesitantly, but she was too upset to think about anything. She thought she had killed the werewolf that had killed her entire family, only to find out she hadn't killed him at all. And now, he'd killed her neighbour, and one of her grandfather's oldest friends. All she knew for sure was it felt comforting to be in Sam's arms. He made her feel safe and secure, unlike how she'd felt for the past eight years.

Jessie stayed in Sam's arms for a short time, her eyes closed, but she wasn't crying. She may have cried more in the past few days than she had in the past eight years, but it had mostly been in private. And even though she was considerably upset, she couldn't bring herself to tears in front of him.

Sam held her tightly, until he began to feel her shoulders relax, then he loosened his grip slightly. He could imagine how upset she would be, he knew he would be furious in the same situation, so holding her was mostly for her benefit, but he wasn't sure why she wouldn't let go and cry. He knew she was proud, but he had hoped she would let down her guard, even if it was just a little.

After a few minutes, he began to rub her back lightly. When she didn't seem to care, he began running his fingers through her hair, which was hanging down low across her back. She moved away from him slightly, surprised by his touch. She knew she couldn't make the same mistake she'd made with Dean, barely even twenty four hours earlier. She looked up at him, gazing into his sensitive, caring eyes, wanting to move away from him, but she couldn't.

Sam reached his hand to her face, holding it gently, smiling supportively as she gazed into his eyes. He wanted to kiss her, but he knew he couldn't–not now–maybe not ever, but definitely not now.

"Maybe you should get some sleep now, Jessie. It's been a really long day, and night."

She nodded her head lightly in agreement, smiling thankfully. "I think you're right, Sam. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," he said as he released his grip on her.

She stood looking at him awkwardly for a moment. "Yes I do," she said quietly, before leaving the room.

He stood still, watching her depart, before following behind her moments later.

**A/N: So what do you think is up with this werewolf? Its acting kind of strangely, dont you think? And how long do you think Sam can keep himself away from Jessie? Or how long can she keep herself away from him?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Jessie slept very restlessly during the night and into the early morning. The sun had barely risen when she finally decided to climb out of bed, giving up on the elusive sleep. She was still tired, both physically and emotionally, but everytime she closed her eyes, her imagination ran wild, envisioning the werewolf mocking her. And if she found sleep, nightmares haunted her sleep.

She walked downstairs quietly, wearing her fuzzy pink slippers that resembled some strange hairy animal that had been turned into footwear, and a pink robe that was covering her pale blue nightgown.

It was quiet as she walked into the livingroom, which she was pleased to find. She really wanted some quiet time to herself. But as she approached the door to the kitchen, she not only thought she heard something, but she could smell coffee brewing. She sighed quietly, before walking into the kitchen.

"Good morning," Dean smiled as he handed her a cup of freshly brewed coffee. "I hope you don't mind that I made coffee."

She smiled weakly, gladly accepting the cup. She wanted to be angry with him, just to make herself feel better, but she couldn't. It wasn't his fault she was tired, or even irritable.

"Thank you."

He wasn't always as observant of people like his brother was, but he could definitely tell something was bothering her. He just wasn't sure if he should bring attention to it.

"Is everything all right?" he asked as he sat down at the table.

"Spare me your concern right now, Dean. I'm not in the mood for it."

He set his cup of coffee down on the table, gesturing for her to sit down beside him. She hesitated, but only for a moment, before doing as he had asked.

"What is it?" she asked with irritation.

"What happened after I went to bed?"

She shook her head, not wanting to speak about it. She didn't even want to think about it, especially about the implications. She thought she had settled her score with that werewolf and now she didn't know what to think.

"You and Sam didn't—"

She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "How dare you even suggest that, Dean! Do you think I'm some kind of slut?"

"I didn't mean that," he said, trying to back peddle. "I meant argue, not sex."

She looked at him in disbelief, rolling her eyes heavily. She didn't believe him, but she didn't have the strength to fight with him, she was tired.

"Go to hell, Dean."

He decided not to push her, he was actually in a good mood for a change, having slept well, but he couldn't help but wonder what had happened in his absence. He was worried about his brother more than anything. He didn't think Sam would think straight where Jessie was concerned.

"I'm sorry, Jessie. I don't always think before I say something."

"It's fine, Dean," she replied as she stood up. "I'm over it."

He was going to start over, asking her again if anything was wrong, but he finally decided against it. He figured all he would do is upset her again. Instead, he shut his mouth and drank his coffee.

Jessie decided to cook breakfast. It was more to distract herself from her thoughts, than for nourishment. Truth was, she wasn't very hungry, but she needed to do something, and she enjoyed cooking.

First, she chopped up a large onion, throwing it into a frying pan with butter. Next, she peeled two medium sized potatoes, then chopped them up into cubes, throwing them in with the onions and turned the stove on. She rooted around in the cupboard, finding a few spices and sprinkled them into the frying pan, then stirred everything up. While she was waiting for the potatoes to brown, she grated some cheddar cheese, setting it aside for later.

Dean walked up behind her, while she was standing in front of the stove, frying the potatoes. Her first instinct was to tell him off or push him away, but she chose a different approach, she ignored him.

"Do you mind if I ask what you're making?" he asked her a minute later.

"You'll find out when it's done," she replied impatiently.

He stepped out from behind her, moving to rest against the counter, he was trying to stay out of her way.

"Where did you learn to cook?"

"My grandmother," she replied, as she walked to the fridge, pulling out a carton of eggs. "She always told me a woman should know how to cook." She set the carton of eggs on the counter, pulling out a bowl and a fork. "She always said it's the way to a man's heart."

He laughed. "That's definitely something I can agree with."

She laughed at the irony while cracking a few eggs into a bowl.

"Why don't you go wake your brother up?"

"Is that a suggestion, or a command?" he asked with a teasing grin.

She rolled her eyes before turning to look at him. "It's a polite request. I'm sure he'd like to eat too."

"But if he's still asleep, I can eat his portion too."

She laughed. "I had a feeling you might say that. Just do it."

He shook his head, smiling, then left the kitchen.

While Dean was gone, she made an omelette, and placed it on a plate. She spooned some of the fried potato and onion mixture on one half of the omelette, then sprinkled cheese on top of that. She finished it off by folding the other half of the omelette on top of the stuffing so it looked like it was wrapped in a blanket.

Dean walked back into the kitchen just as she was setting the plate on the table where he'd been sitting. He sat down in front of it, grabbing the fork that had also been placed there, looking at it in wonder. "I hope this is for me."

She laughed, while cracking more eggs into a bowl. "Yes, it is," she replied while whisking the eggs. "Is Sam coming down for breakfast or what?"

"Yes, I am," Sam answered as he walked into the kitchen, looking sleepy eyed. "I could smell you cooking upstairs."

"Good," she said, while pouring the eggs into the frying pan. "Dean made coffee and there's orange juice in the fridge if you want."

Sam took a coffee cup from the cupboard, pouring himself a coffee then sat down beside Dean. He watched his brother in amusement as he shoveled the food into his mouth in large bites.

"Oh–my–god!" Dean mumbled through a mouth full of food. "This is delicious!"

"Thanks Dean," she replied as she walked to the table, placing a fork and a plate of food in front of Sam.

"Thanks, Jessie," Sam said with a grateful smile.

"You're welcome," she replied as she began cooking her own omelette.

It was only a minute before Jessie finished cooking her omelette and sat at the table to eat with the Winchesters. She'd only had a single bite before Dean pushed his plate away from himself, a giant grin on his face.

"I could really get used to eating like this," he said.

Jessie smiled awkwardly, averting her gaze. She knew she shouldn't read so much into such an innocent remark, but she couldn't help herself.

He seemed to have noticed her uneasiness, so he said the first thing that came to him. "What're we up to today?"

Sam watched Jessie, but when she didn't answer, he spoke up. "Research," he replied, then began to elaborate, explaining what he and Jessie had discovered the night before.

Dean was just as stumped as they were, but he was determined to help Jessie figure out what was going on, whether she wanted his help or not. He'd been hunting much longer than her and his instincts weren't usually too wrong. And his instincts were telling him whatever was going on was much more dangerous than the average werewolf.

Since Jessie had cooked breakfast, the boys insisted on washing the dishes, leaving her with a few moments of private time. She headed into her computer room, closing the door behind her, then pulled her phone out and called Bobby.

She explained everything that had happened, leaving out all the unimportant details, like what had happened with Dean. While Bobby seemed to be trying to hide his concern, she could tell by the tone of his voice that he was upset. He had tried to convince her several times to stop hunting that werewolf over the years, but this time he knew it was no good. Instead he made her promise not to hunt it alone. It wasn't what she wanted to do, but she agreed, for his sake. She owed him a lot, and peace of mind was a small thing she could give to him.

She began to look through several files on her computer that she'd kept about the werewolf she thought she'd already killed, hoping to find something in the research that she had missed, some sort of clue to what was going on. She searched for a couple of hours, while the brothers were busy making phone calls, doing some research of their own.

It was midafternoon when Jessie finally became frustrated and quit looking though her files. After running into one dead end after another, she'd had enough. There was one solution she knew she could try, but was very reluctant. But after a short time, she convinced herself to follow through. She was desperate, and desperate times called for desperate measures.

After a quick phone call, she walked into the livingroom, where both Sam and Dean were seated; Dean on the couch and Sam on a chair. They both glanced at her simultaneously, both with similar curious looks.

Her first reaction was to roll her eyes and say something snarky, maybe about both of them sharing the same brain, but she wasn't really in the mood for joking, or even fighting. Her thoughts were consumed by this problem with the werewolf, and she didn't want to get distracted or sidetracked.

"I have a trip to make," she announced abruptly. "It's only a little over 100 miles away, so I'll only be a few hours." She started to walk away, as if matters were settled, but Dean couldn't let her go just like that.

"We're coming with you," he stated adamantly, nodding at Sam. "And, I'm not taking no for an answer."

She had turned to glance at him, narrowing her eyes, but she stopped herself short. "Fine," she said, as she grabbed her shoes. "But we're taking my car. No arguments."

Dean looked as if he was going to object, but he didn't. He stood up from the couch, getting ready to leave, Sam following right behind.

Jessie grinned, as she turned her back on them, getting her shoes on and throwing her coat. She almost forgot where she had placed her purse, but found it on the coffee table. She checked her pocket for her phone, grabbed her keys, then stood waiting for the brothers to be ready.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked as he appeared through the doorway that led to the stairs.

"I have to talk to someone."

He looked at her strangely. "You're driving 100 miles to talk to someone?"

She shook her head with a smile. "Yes, I am."

"Why can't you use the phone?" Dean asked as he appeared behind his brother.

She sighed, opening the front door. "He doesn't have a phone."

The brothers passed a look between them, before walking out of the door. They walked to Jessie's car to wait, while she locked up the house.

As she approached the car, Jessie glanced at Dean, who was standing by the front passenger door. "You're sitting in the back."

"What?"

"You heard me," she replied with a grin. "You're sitting in the back—so you don't feel compelled to touch my radio."

He rolled his eyes, switching places with Sam, while she unlocked the car. Then he hopped into the backseat, looking pouty.

She noticed Dean's look as she glanced through her rearview mirror. She rolled her eyes in irritation. "Fine, Dean," she said. "There's a box of CD's in the back there. If you can find something you will listen to I'll put it in."

She glanced over at Sam, who was watching her with interest. She winked, knowing there probably wasn't anything there he'd like, she was mostly just humoring him. But as she started the car and was about to put it into gear, he passed a CD case over the seat to her.

She took the case, almost snorting as she saw what it was, then passed it to Sam. "Can you put that in, please?" she asked as she put the car into gear and began to drive down the long driveway.

He took the case, sighing as he read it. "Dude, seriously? Foreigner's greatest hits?"

"Hey! She said I could listen to whatever I wanted to," he said with a shrug. "You should see the crap I had to choose from."

"No insulting my music collection, Dean," she warned, glancing in the rearview at him. "At least I have music that was made after 1979."

He laughed. "That's exactly why your collection sucks. Everyone knows any good music was made before the 80's."

"Yeah, well, you're just lucky I happen to love Foreigner."

He smiled, then relaxed in the seat.

It was a quiet, uneventful drive. Sam dozed off during most of the ride. He was tired from not sleeping much the night before. He wouldn't tell Jessie, but he'd stayed up in the bedroom after they'd arrived home from Dennis' house, doing some research on his own on his laptop. He only fell asleep shortly before the sun had risen, which was only a couple of hours before Dean had woke him up.

Dean relaxed in the back seat, listening to the music and thinking. It was an unusual circumstance for him, being able to sit back and relax, not driving for once. Normally when he wasn't driving, it was because he was tired and needed a nap. It gave him a rare opportunity to ponder things, and he had a lot to ponder at the moment.

His thoughts immediately went back to a day and a half earlier, the night he'd slept with Jessie. He could remember every moment from that night, yet he wasn't sure what had possessed him to sleep with her in the first place. He knew it would be a mistake, and he knew he would regret it, but he did it anyway. Other than an insanely strong sexual attraction—and perhaps something else, something he couldn't quite get a handle on—he knew he hadn't wanted to do it, he just couldn't figure out why he'd went through with it. He knew his brother had feelings for her, stronger than he'd had for any woman in a very long time.

And that was it.

An epiphany.

Now he realized why he'd done it, even though he didn't want to admit it to himself—he couldn't admit it to himself—it would mean he'd betrayed his brother on a very deep, subconcious level, and he didn't think he could live with that.

He was afraid. Afraid to lose his brother. So much had come between them in the past, he just didn't want to see that happen again. Even though he'd promised Bobby—who was like a father to him—to watch out for Jessie. He would rather break his promise to him, than lose his brother. Even if the worry was for nothing.

Dean came back to the present, as the car slowed down, winding down a narrow, back road of gravel, surrounded by trees. The sun was high overhead, but the trees surrounding it were tall, blotting out much of the sunlight.

The car continued down this road for a few minutes, before Jessie turned it down a hidden driveway between some heavy, overgrown bushes. About 500 feet from the edge of the road, there was a low, metal gate that crossed the whole driveway. There was a heavy chain across it, that was beginning to rust across the surface, with a lock. It looked like it hadn't been used in a very long time.

"Stay here," Jessie said to the boys, as she got out of the car. She unlocked the trunk, grabbing a crowbar, then proceeded to smash the lock apart. After unravelling the chain, and pushing the gate open, she got back into the car.

"Are you sure someone lives here?" Dean asked from the backseat.

She began driving the car slowly down the under used dirt laneway, surrounded by overgrown brush. She ignored Dean's comment, even when he stuck his head against the seat, not far from her head. She noticed him glancing uneasily at his brother, who shrugged.

It was only a minute later when the car slowed, approaching a small, ramshackle house that looked more like an old, rundown shed, than a house. Jessie turned in her seat, gazing at Sam, then Dean.

"This guy is very, very eccentric and paranoid," she warned. "So please, just keep quiet and let me do what I gotta do."

Sam glanced at his brother warningly, who tried to look innocent. He just rolled his eyes and followed Jessie up to the door.

Jessie knocked at the door with a series of taps, knocks and scratches. The brothers passed each other curious looks, but kept silent, watching the door.

It was more than a minute before the door opened, but only enough for a pair of eyes to peek outside, staring.

"Whaddya want?" a deep voice grumbled from the door.

"Harold. It's me, Jessie. Jessie Drake."

The eyes at the door continued to stare, almost unmoving and unblinking. "Who are they?"

"Dean and Sam Winchester."

The eyes narrowed, then disappeared, the door opening wide enough for them to enter. Jessie glanced at the brothers warningly, before walking into the open door. The brothers glanced at each other as they followed behind her.

Inside the house was pretty much like anyone would have imagined it by seeing the outside of it. It was unkempt and untidy, and was minimally furnished. But though it was untidy, it wasn't dirty.

Jessie looked at Harold, who was sitting at his wooden kitchen table amongst several books. He was a weary-looking old man, but she was surprised to note he looked much the same the last time she had visited, which was more than five years before.

"Why are you here, Jessie?" he grumbled.

"You know why I'm here," she replied, narrowing her eyes.

He studied her quietly for a long moment, slamming the book he'd been reading shut. "I told you the last time. I don't know anything that can help you."

"And I'm telling you I don't believe you. Not this time."

He eyed her questioningly. "What is it you expect I can tell you that I haven't already?"

"I always thought you were holding out on me, Harold. Now I know for sure."

"You're gonna hafta explain yourself little lady," he said with a cough. "I'm not as sharp as I used to be."

She narrowed her eyes, trying to keep her irritation under check. "The werewolf who killed my family, Harold. What do you know about him?"

"I've told you everything I know."

"And I'm calling you a liar!"

"Jessie," Dean called.

She turned, glaring at him angrily. "Shut up, Dean." She turned back to Harold, who was still as stoic as he'd been. "Tell me what you know, right now."

He continued to gaze at her as stoically for a minute, long enough to mull something over in his head. He sighed, just before he began to speak, suddenly looking even older than his many years. "I promised your family I would never tell you anything about him."

"My family?" she replied questioningly.

He stood up abruptly, looking from Dean to Sam, studying them. "Who are these men to you?"

"Friends," she replied hesitantly. "Why?"

He gazed back and forth at the brothers again. "I know who your dad was," he said, waiting for their startled looks. "I know what kind of man John Winchester was. The question is; are you both like him? Or are you better?"

"What kind of question is that?" Dean asked angrily.

The old man's lips curled lightly in a grin. "Would you boys do what you could to save this girl from herself?"

Dean looked at his brother questioningly. He wasn't sure what the man was asking. "Yes, we would."

"And you too?" the man asked, looking at Sam.

"Yes," he replied without hesitation.

The old man walked over to a pile of books that was sitting on a table beside an old, ratty looking armchair, in what was a tiny livingroom. He took the topmost book, which looked very old, and walked over to Jessie, handing it to her.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Open it to the page that's marked," he replied as he walked back over to his chair at the kitchen table and sat down.

She opened the book to a page that was marked by an old envelope. It was on a page about werewolf lore. Nothing she hadn't seen before. "I don't understand."

"Look closely, Jessie," the old man said. "At the picture of the painting."

She squinted her eyes at the small picture of a painting in the book, not sure what she was looking for. But when she came across the eyes of the beast, she knew she recognized them. She'd seen them too many times not to.

"What does this mean?"

The old man shook his head with a frown. "That werewolf you're looking for. He's not just any werewolf, he's _the_ werewolf."

"The werewolf?"

Sam and Dean both passed looks of confusion between each other, before returning their gaze on the old man.

"The one that killed your family, the one who's been hunting you. He's _the_ werewolf, the origin of all werewolves. The first one, who all other werewolves have originated from. An alpha."

Jessie took a step backward in shock. "How is that even possible?" she asked breathlessly. "I don't understand."

Dean and Sam looked at each other with shock and dismay.

"I'll let you have that book," the old man said. "I won't be needing it any longer. I'm too old to hunt and much too paranoid to leave this house. All your answers are in there."

Her stomach suddenly felt like there was a deep pit inside and it was getting larger by the second. She slammed the book closed, looking at the old man harshly. "Why didn't you tell me this years ago?"

"This werewolf is dangerous, Jessie. He hasn't survived many millenia by being easy to catch or kill."

"But I did kill him, a few months ago. None of this makes any sense," she stated with frustration.

"I don't know what to tell you about that. But what I do know is, you better watch your back. Anyone who's ever tried to hunt him down has ended up dead," he paused, looking sadly. "Your parents, your grandparents and everyone that was ever close to them."

She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't. She was too upset to think straight. She turned on her heel and ran out the door, slamming it loudly behind her.

The old man watched her leave, staring sadly at the spot she'd just vacated. He looked back and forth at the brothers again, his eyes fixed on Sam. "Both of you need to look out for her. This werewolf won't stop until she's dead. I can promise you that."

"We will," Sam answered adamantly.

"I hope so, boy. She's a good girl. She didn't deserve what's happened to her."

Dean motioned his head to his brother, who followed Jessie out the door without a word.

"I really hope she'll let you help her," the old man said to Dean after Sam had left. "She's a stubborn girl. I'd hate to find out she got herself killed."

"Yeah, she's definitely stubborn," he remarked. "But we're gonna do our best to keep her safe."

"I really hope so, Dean," he said sadly. "She's in way over her head. But if anyone can help her, it's you and your brother."

He nodded his head, then walked out the door, closing it behind him. He stopped as he stepped outside, seeing his brother in the distance, standing behind Jessie, his arms on her shoulders, comforting her. He didn't want to interrupt them, but he felt stupid just standing, watching. He walked up to the car slowly, but noisily, so he would be heard.

Sam turned around as he heard his brother approach, looking gravely. The moment's interruption gave Jessie an excuse to break free of Sam's comforting grip. She wrenched open the car door quickly, jumped in and slammed the door behind her.

"Is she okay?" he asked his brother.

"Would you be, Dean?" he replied, with more venom than he'd meant to. "She doesn't know what to think."

He nodded once in agreement, then rapped on the driver's side window. He waited until she rolled it down, then leaned in closer. "Why don't you let me drive?"

She looked like she was about to disagree or put up an argument, but she sighed instead and got out of the car. "Thank you," she said as she handed him the keys. "Just drive her like she's yours."

"Absolutely," he replied with a smile.

She stood staring at him stoically for a moment, before opening the door to the back seat and climbing in.

He dangled the keys in his brother's face for a moment, before opening the driver's door. "Come on, Sammy," he called as he jumped in the car.

**A/N: So now they have an idea what they're up against, but are they prepared for it? At least it explains some of the unusual behavior. And now Dean realizes why he did what he did. Do you think he'll say something to Jessie or his brother?**

**Feel free to leave a review of my story. I read them all.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Dean managed to find his way back to Jessie's house without getting lost, which he was pleased about. Sam had slept during the ride to the old man's house, so he wouldn't have been able to help on the journey back. And Jessie had dozed off shortly after they'd left. It was dark by the time they arrived.

Jessie's attitude was quiet and subdued once she was in the house. She'd handed the book the old man had given her over to Sam to read, while she cooked dinner for all of them. She didn't make anything elaborate, but Dean was still happy to have home cooked food.

After they were finished eating, Dean sat in front of the TV while having a beer, Sam began to do some research on Jessie's computer, while she sat in a recliner reading through the book the old man had given her.

Jessie stayed up late reading, later than Dean stayed up, who headed to bed shortly after midnight. Sam was still researching on her computer, which she didn't mind, but after one a.m., she just wished he would go to bed. She wanted to be alone.

It was almost two a.m., when Sam finally walked out of the computer room, rubbing his eyes. He found Jessie dozing off in the recliner, still holding on to the book.

He wasn't going to disturb her, but to him, she looked very uncomfortable the way she'd fallen asleep. Her head was propped up in one arm, her neck wrenched far to the side as she leaned on her arm, the other hand grasping the book.

First, he took the book, sliding it out of her hand gently, setting it on the coffee table. She didn't moved or wake while he did that, so he risked her wrath, gently lifting her up into his arms. She made a few sounds as he did, but she didn't wake. So he continued to carry her up the stairs and into her bedroom. He laid her gently into the bed, which hadn't been made that morning, and pulled the sheets up around her.

He stood beside her bed for a minute, watching to make sure she would stay asleep. As her breathing slowed and became rythmic, he knew she was sound asleep. He stood a few seconds longer just to watch her sleep, before he went to his own bedroom and turned in for the night.

When Jessie woke up in the morning, the sun had already completely risen and was shining in through her window. Her eyes had barely fluttered open before she darted into a sitting position, wondering how she'd made it into her bed. She noticed she was still fully dressed, which she was grateful for.

After a quick shower, she walked downstairs and found Dean sitting on the couch watching the morning news. She nodded as she passed him on the way to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, she found Sam sitting at the table drinking coffee. She nodded as she walked to the coffeemaker, pouring herself a large cup.

"Good morning, Jessie," Sam chimed.

She stuck her index finger up as if she wanted him to wait, then added sugar and cream to her coffee. It was then, she sat down at the table beside Sam, taking a very long sip of her coffee.

"Good morning, Sam," she greeted with the slightest hint of a smile.

"I forgot you don't like to talk before coffee."

She nodded with a grin. "Do you know how I made it into my bed, Sam?"

He looked at her uncomfortably for a moment. "I, uh, carried you up to bed."

She raised an eyebrow in curious surprise. "And I didn't wake?"

"No," he said in a hushed tone.

She shook her head lightly in disbelief for a moment, before grinning at him in a teasing way. "You thought I was going to tear your head off, didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah. The thought did cross my mind."

"Well, I suppose I should be, but..." she replied, thinking carefully about what she wanted to say. She was a little more angry than she was letting on. Although it had been a gesture of kindness on his part, she felt a little violated. She knew it was silly to feel that way, but she was still trying to adjust to having people around her. And after what had happened with Dean, she was still feeling a bit touchy about any sort of intimate situation. "Thank you. At least I'm not suffering from a stiff neck this morning."

Sam nodded, smiling, then stood up from the table to get himself another cup of coffee.

"But," she said as he was pouring coffee into his cup. "If there's a next time, just wake me up."

"Definitely," he replied as he sat back down at the table.

They sat in silence for a few minutes drinking coffee, before Jessie got up from the table to look for something to eat. She rummaged through the cupboards and the fridge for a bit, before deciding she wasn't happy with anything.

"I'll be back in about ten minutes," she said to Sam as she walked out of the kitchen. She grabbed her purse off one of the end tables, dug out her keys, then slid some slip on shoes onto her feet. She was about to walk out the door, when Dean asked her where she was going.

"I'm going down the road for something," she answered then walked out of the door before he could ask her anything more.

She jumped into her car, driving about five minutes down the road, stopping at a farm she was familiar with. After a very quick conversation with the owner, she purchased a basket of strawberries, freshly picked early that morning. The smell of them was so sweet and fragrant, they made her so hungry she was almost salivating.

After arriving back home, she immediately headed straight into the kitchen and began to clean, hull and slice the strawberries. Sam had remained sitting in the kitchen while she was out, but now Dean had followed her in and was now sitting at the table with his brother. He was hungry—as always—and very eager to see what Jessie was making for breakfast.

When she was finished with the strawberries, she turned around, narrowing her eyes warningly at the brothers. "Out. Both of you."

"Why?" Dean asked innocently.

"When breakfast is done I'll call you."

He looked like he was about to protest, but he rolled his eyes while glancing at his brother before leaving, with Sam right behind him.

Jessie grabbed a medium sized glass bowl and a set of beaters and placed them in the freezer above the fridge. She took out a small binder, flipping the lined pages gingerly, looking for a particular recipe. When she found it, she flopped it open on the counter, grabbed a large bowl and began adding ingredients into the bowl. After mixing it thoroughly, she retrieved a waffle iron from a cupboard full of various gadgets and began making waffles from the mix in the bowl.

When she was finished making waffles—making sure she made extra for Dean—she took the bowl and beaters from the freezer, poured a large amount of whipping cream, which she'd removed from the fridge. She then added a small amount of sugar and a very small amount of vanilla extract, then beat it until the whipping cream was fluffy and voluminous.

She set three plates out, placing a fresh waffle on each, spooned a generous amount of strawberries on top then a generous amount of whipped cream on that. She added a little extra on Dean's plate.

She smiled as she placed the plates on the table, making sure each plate was in the right spot. She found it a little strange how both brothers had already chosen a seat at the table that each of them called their own. It made her really appreciate how well they really knew each other and how close they are.

After setting a fork, knife and napkin in each spot, she sat down in her own seat then called on the brothers.

Dean ran into the kitchen, dashing for his seat as if he'd been late, or someone was going to steal his food, making Jessie laugh out loud. His eyes were wide with delight as he sat down and picked up the silverware.

Sam had followed behind his brother at a regular walking pace. He smiled in amusement as he watched his brother's excitement over breakfast, sitting down beside him.

"Looks delicious," Sam said with smile.

"It's excellent," Dean mumbled with a mouthful of food.

Jessie smiled as she ate while watching the brothers enjoy their food. Dean finished his breakfast first, asking for seconds, which she made for him. And when everyone was finished eating, she cleaned up their plates, setting them in the sink. She had just turned on the water to rinse everything, when she heard Dean quietly joke with his brother.

"You need to marry that woman."

She noticed Sam didn't reply. She imagined he was feeling as awkward as she felt, but she assumed neither of them had realized she'd heard his remark. She wanted to turn around, but she didn't dare. She was afraid of what she might see. So she continued to rinse the dishes, then filled the sink so she could wash them.

"Why don't you let me wash them?" Sam said as he walked up next to her. "It's the least I can do since you cooked."

She turned around to glance at him and noticed Dean walking out of the kitchen. She figured he was trying to get out of helping his brother.

"You can dry if you want to help."

He smiled. "Sure."

She began to wash the dishes from breakfast, and from dinner the night before, while Sam dried them. She was surprised that he already seemed to know where most of them went in the cupboards. They were almost finished with them when she dropped a coffee cup on the floor, which broke into several pieces.

"Dammit!" she cried with dismay.

"It's okay," Sam said. "Where's your broom and dustpan?"

She showed him where the broom closet was, then finished the dishes while he was cleaning up the mess. She had begun to dry the dishes when he came to stand next to her and put them away. As she moved to put away a plate, Sam reached for it at the same time and their hands touched for an instant. She pulled hers away quickly, trying her best not to look upset.

"You heard what Dean said earlier, didn't you?" he asked knowingly.

She glanced away, ignoring his question.

"You do know he was joking, right?" he asked. "I think he was just high on good food."

She laughed lightly, turning back to face him. "I know he was, Sam."

"Good," he said with relief. "I was afraid you might have read more into his remark."

She studied him for a moment looking more serious. "I'd rather discuss something else if we can, Sam." He nodded his head. "How far did you get with the book Harold gave me?"

"Not too far, why?"

She sighed loudly. "I was kinda hoping you would be able to tell me I didn't read what I think I read last night. That maybe I was so tired I imagined some of the things I'd read."

He looked at her curiously. "What did you read?"

"Let's go in the livingroom," she said, immediately walking out of the kitchen.

Sam watched her walk out of the kitchen before he followed her. She was already sitting on the recliner she'd been sitting in last night to read. His brother was on the couch, so he went and sat beside him, waiting.

She looked at Dean, who had a curious look on his face, but as she looked at Sam, his face seemed to be more comforting and supportive.

"I know this is going to be hard to believe, but what I'm about to tell you is true," she began tenatively. "If this werewolf is the first one, then he's gonna be a lot harder to kill."

"Why is that?" Dean asked skeptically.

She narrowed her eyes about to chastise him, but Sam beat her to it. "Just let her talk, Dean."

He gave his brother an irritated look, but didn't say another word.

When she was positive Dean wasn't going to interrupt again, she continued. "The first werewolf was a witch who was heavily into alchemy. Somehow he turned himself into a werewolf with some spell or something. The book is rather vague with that particular detail." She paused for a minute to think about what she wanted to say next. "This first werewolf can change into his werewolf form any night and he keeps his memory of his human life and vice versa."

"Are you saying he's aware of being a werewolf and knows exactly what he's doing?" Sam interrupted.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Sam," she replied. "That's why he's so dangerous. And that's how he's survived all of these years."

"How many years exactly?" Dean asked.

She sighed. "The book is rather vague on that too, but, before recent recorded time."

"So he's older than 2000 years?" Sam asked.

"I'm afraid so."

The brothers looked at each other with shock, dismay and disbelief. Neither of them wanted to believe it was possible.

"Everyone who's ever went after him has been killed," she said sadly. "That's why my parents and grandparents were killed."

"But why did he kill your sister?" Dean asked. "Surely she wasn't hunting him."

"Your guess is as good as mine, Dean."

"Wait a minute," Sam said suspiciously. "You said your grandparents were killed by him. But I thought you said you didn't know how your grandmother died?"

"I never said that," she replied quickly. "Maybe Bobby did."

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You're hiding something." It wasn't a question.

She glared at Sam angrily at first, but it eased quickly. She wasn't really angry, just upset. She had a secret. A secret she'd never told anyone else. She'd kept it to herself for nearly fifteen years and she wasn't sure if she was ready to let go of it just yet.

"Let it go, Sam"

"No, I don't think I will," he replied.

She glanced quickly at Dean, who was looking confused. "Fine," she replied in defeat, looking down. "But I've never told this to anyone. _No one_."

"We're not going to judge you."

"I know that, Sam. That's not what I'm worried about," she replied, fighting back tears. She didn't want to cry. That's what she was worried about. She knew it was going to happen. She'd never been able to tell anyone the truth before. She could barely even think about it without wanting to break down.

"My grandmother was killed by that werewolf. I was the one who found her, but, but–" she couldn't help but allow a single tear to fall from her eye, which she wiped away automatically. "I was going to fetch her. It was getting late and she hadn't finished supper yet. When I came upon her, she was lying dead on the ground in a pool of blood. A hole in her chest." She put her hands to her face, unable to go on.

"How did you know it was that werewolf, Jessie?" Sam prodded gently.

She nodded with her hands still on her face, before removing her hands. She gazed at him with eyes so deep with sorrow, it made him want to hold her. "When I was walking towards my grandmother, it was walking away. It turned to look at me, sneering. I'll never forget his face. I ran home and hid in my bedroom. I guess I cried myself to sleep. The next thing I remember is my grandfather waking me up and telling me she was dead." She paused for a moment, tears falling from both eyes. "He told me she had a heart attack. And I never told him I knew. At the time I didn't know what that thing was, but I knew it was the same thing that killed my parents. I remembered that much."

"Why didn't you tell him?"

She looked at Sam sadly. It was a question she'd been asking herself for so long and she wasn't quite sure of the answer. "Honestly, I think I was afraid. I don't think I really wanted to know what that thing was."

Everyone was quiet with their own thoughts for a few minutes, not sure what to say. Until Jessie became too uncomfortable with the silence.

"We need a plan to kill this bastard, once and for all."

"How do we kill him?" Dean asked.

"The same way you kill any other werewolf," she replied.

"Then how did he get away from you last time?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea, Dean."

"Maybe we should go see Bobby before we go hunting this thing," Sam said. "He might know something."

She was pretty sure Bobby didn't know anything more than he'd already told her, but she wanted to see him. She owed him a lot and she was afraid she'd never get to tell him how much she'd appreciated it, even if she seemed ungrateful. She was determined to kill this werewolf once and for all. And if she died to make that happen, she was fine with that. As long as the Winchesters made it out alive, it didn't matter to her.

"There's something I gotta do first," she blurted out suddenly as she stood up from her chair. She put on her slip on shoes, then ran out the door quickly, before either of the brothers could say anything more.

She stepped outside to a May sky that was gray, dull and full of dark clouds. She didn't stop to consider the weather. She ran down the porch stairs and turned right, walking around the house, ignoring the cold drizzle that was falling from the sky. It made her shiver—she'd forgotten her coat—but she kept on walking past the chainlink fence that ran around 100 square feet of the backyard that used to house her grandparent's old dog, Fink. She continued walking until she reached a small orchard with five apple trees. Three of the trees were old, and produced very few apples any longer. One was a little younger, but not as young as the fifth one, which was still in it's apple producing prime. She flopped to the ground on her knees in front of the trees, ignoring the damp, muddy ground. She stared at the five crosses that were planted in front of the trees, then broke out in a full cry.

Her mind was full of memories she tried hard to forget, but never could. Her grandfather planted the first tree for her sister, then buried her ashes below it. He had told her she would watch over the tree, just as the tree would watch over her. She hadn't believed her grandfather, even though she was only ten at the time. But the tree had always bloomed magnificently, even from the first year. The second and third trees were planted for her parents. She remembered helping her grandfather bury the ashes below their trees. The fourth tree had been planted for her grandmother. She felt a twinge of guilt as her eyes glanced at her cross. The fifth tree was the most recent and the most memorable of them all. It was the tree she had planted for her grandfather, after she'd killed him and burned his remains. She'd buried his ashes below his tree, just as he'd done for the rest of her family. She took great pride in that particular tree. Always making sure it was looked after. Pruning it. Spraying it. And fertilizing it. While she was sad to think of his passing and how it had happened, she always smiled as she looked upon the tree. She knew her grandfather would have been proud of her.

She was kneeling on the ground crying when the rain picked up. It was no longer just drizzle, but a constant steady late spring rain. She wasn't thinking about the rain, or how cold she was though. She was too busy feeling guilty. She knew it couldn't possibly be her fault, but she often wondered if she had told her grandfather she'd found her grandmother, if things would have turned out differently. Maybe he would have taught her then about hunting. Maybe she wouldn't have gone to university. Maybe she wouldn't have spent a year rebelling against him because he hadn't told her the truth. Maybe she wouldn't have met her boyfriend and he wouldn't have died because of her. And maybe her grandfather wouldn't be dead.

She was too busy feeling guilty and worrying about 'what ifs' to notice when someone walked up behind her, sloshing through the mud. That is, until he placed her jacket around her shoulders.

She was startled, but she didn't move. Not until she saw the feet of the man who'd come to make sure she was okay. She knew who it was before she looked up into his thoughtful and concerned eyes.

"Thank you, Sam," she said as he helped her to her feet.

"You're most welcome," he said, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. It was as much to comfort her as it was to warm her. It was cold and wet and all she was wearing was a wet t-shirt. He was even cold in his jacket.

"You didn't have to come find me."

"Really?" he asked with surprise. "It's cold out here and you're soaked. You're gonna get sick."

She pulled back, loosening his grip slightly. "Don't worry about me, Sam. It takes a bit more than being sick to keep me down."

"I believe that," he said with a grin.

She leaned in close, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "But, thank you," she said with a smile.

He smiled back, brushing stray hairs from her face. "My pleasure," he replied, moving in to kiss her. He let his lips gently touch hers, kissing them very lightly.

Her eyes had closed and she held her breath the instant his lips touched hers, but she wanted more. She reached her arms around him, grasping him tightly. It seemed to be the signal Sam had been waiting for, as he kissed her much more deeply.

Their lips were locked in a deep kiss for a couple of minutes, before Sam pulled away, smiling brightly. "I think I should get you inside. You're shivering."

"Are you sure that's your motivation, or are you scared?" she asked with a teasing grin.

"Both."

She smiled, releasing her grip from him. "I am cold."

"That's what I thought," he said, putting an arm around her, leading her towards the house. "And you look like crap."

She stopped, slapping him playfully on the chest. "Yeah, thanks a lot."

"The wet and muddy look suits you though," he teased.

She turned around, stuck a foot behind his, then pushed him with both arms. He fell backwards into a muddy puddle. "It suits you too," she laughed.

He laughed as she helped him up to his feet. "I guess I deserved that."

"That _and_ some," she giggled. "But I think we both better hurry inside, before we get sick."

He smiled, nodding knowingly. "Let's."

**A/N: I finally decided on where exactly in relation to the show this story is happening; This would be after season 6, but with an entirely different ending. Cass broke the realtionship off with Crowley, thinking he'd beat Raphael with the souls from purgatory, but he fails opening it. (so thankfully no leviathans) However, Cass does manage to defeat Raphael, barely, and is now in heaven trying to get the angels to once again do the jobs they were assigned. Things between Cass and the Winchesters are still tenative, and its been a long time since they've actually spoken. Sam has learned to deal with the problems he had when the wall in his head came down. If I think of anything I left out, I'll let you know. But you needed to know this for what's going to happen later on.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Dean was shocked when his brother walked into the house with Jessie, soaked and covered in mud. He wondered if Jessie had been angry with him, but they both seemed to be smiling. He decided it didn't matter to him, turning his attention back to the TV.

"I think you better have a shower before we leave," Jessie said to Sam with a grin.

"Ladies first."

"Then you better go first," she teased.

He snorted. "I still say you remind me of Dean."

"Oh really?" she said smiling. "Does he kiss like me too?"

Sam looked at her horrified as she covered her mouth in surprise by what had come out of her mouth. She could feel Dean's eyes on her.

"I think you were right, Sam," she said with a grin, trying to break the built up tension. "Dean has a habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Guess I'm more like him than I thought."

He didn't want to, but Sam had to laugh. It was the truth.

"Fine, I'll go first," she said. "I have some laundry to do before we leave anyways."

He nodded, waiting until she was upstairs, then turned to glance at his brother.

"Just say it."

"Say what?" Dean asked looking innocent.

"Whatever it is you want to say," he replied, looking impatient.

"Hey, I told you I was okay with whatever you want, Sam," he replied. "I just thought you might want to take it a bit slower with her."

He glared at his brother. "Like you did, Dean?"

"She's damaged goods, Sam."

He snorted in disgust, then turned on his heel and walked up the stairs. He couldn't believe what his brother had said. If he hadn't left the room, he was afraid what might happen.

After Jessie had a quick shower, she gathered up her clothes to wash. She knocked on the bathroom door—where Sam was now showering—to see if he needed anything washed. He opened the door, clothed only by a towel around his waist. Her jaw nearly dropped on the floor as she saw his well defined muscles.

She turned away, her face slightly red. "Uh, nice tattoo," she stammered.

He smiled, almost laughing. "Yeah, thanks. I'm surprised you don't have one."

"Oh, well, I don't usually mess with demons so I never felt the need to get one," she replied uncomfortably.

"You can turn around if you want," he said with a laugh. "I think it's only fair since I've pretty much seen you naked before."

She turned around slowly, her face still slightly flushed. "Yeah, right," she said, losing her train of thought. "I, uh, came to ask if you needed any laundry done."

He turned around, bending over to pick his clothes up off the floor. She was frozen in spot, her eyes watching him closely, half hoping the towel would fall and at the same time hoping it wouldn't. She was torn by the conflicting feelings from her brain and her loins.

"Here," he said as he handed his muddy clothes to her. "Thank you."

She was grinning wildly as she accepted his clothes. She felt incredibly stupid, but she couldn't stop smiling like a young girl. "You're welcome."

"I think Dean might need some washed too," he said. "That's if you want to help him out." He was still angry with his brother for his last remark about Jessie.

"Okay, I'll ask him," she answered quickly, then left almost as quick.

She walked downstairs carrying her basket of clothes, with Sam's on top. Dean was still sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Do you need any laundry washed before we leave?"

He glanced at her basket, noticing Sam's clothes on top. "Yeah, but only if you don't mind."

"Not at all."

He stood up from the couch and stretched. "I'll bring them to you."

"Okay," she replied, walking into the kitchen.

She opened the door of the laundry room, closing it behind her. She measured out the soap into the dispenser on the washer, then picked up a shirt from the basket, it was Sam's. She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but she lifted it to her face, breathing in his musky scent before throwing it into the washing machine. She hurriedly stuffed the rest of the clothes into the machine. She was going to wait for Dean, but he walked through the door just as she added the last pair of pants.

"Thanks, Jessie," he said as he handed his dirty laundry to her.

"No problem," she said, taking it from her and throwing it into the washer.

She started the washer, then turned to see Dean still standing in the doorway.

"Is there something else?"

"I just wanted to make sure you aren't gonna hurt my brother."

"Excuse me?" she said incredulously. "How dare you of all people say something like that to me!"

"I know it's hypocritical, but I worry about him."

She tried to push him aside so she could leave, but he wouldn't budge.

"Screw you, Dean!"

"Look, I'm not saying this to be cruel or anything. He's just very vulnerable when it comes to women."

She snorted with frustration. "Yeah, and I've had a difficult past, I get that. But somehow that didn't stop you from taking advantage of me."

"I'm sorry, Jessie. I don't know how many more times I can apologize for that."

She was angry, but she understood his motivation. It was difficult for her to do, but she calmed herself down. "I don't know what you want me to say, Dean. But I will swear this to you. If I decide to have a relationship with Sam, I won't hurt him."

He nodded his head. "I hope so."

She looked at him curiously, pondering something. "You're afraid of losing him, aren't you?"

"I think it would take more than a woman to come between us," he replied with confidence.

"I don't know if I believe you," she replied. "But I have no intention of coming between the two of you. I told you that once before."

He narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything else. He turned around and left the laundry room without another word.

She sighed loudly after he left, putting a hand to her head in frustration, closing her eyes. She was seriously regretting everything she'd done with the Winchesters, including meeting them. She had thought all along they would be trouble, which is why she'd avoided them for so long. Now she was wondering if she'd been right all along.

She walked through the laundry room door, heading back into the kitchen with her head down. She'd only taken a couple of steps when she slammed into Sam, who had to catch her to keep her from falling.

"I'm sorry," she said, steadying herself.

"You okay?" he asked with concern.

"Why would you ask me that?" she asked suspiciously.

"You look like you're upset."

"Yeah, well, Dean does that to me," she said, stepping around him.

"Wait," he said, grabbing her wrist to stop her from walking away. "What did he do?"

She yanked her hand free of his grip, looking at him irritably. "It doesn't matter, Sam."

"Yeah, it does," he said looking serious. "It matters to me."

"You're sweet to worry, Sam, but it's okay," she said, laying a hand on his arm. "I swore I wouldn't come between the two of you and I intend on keeping that promise."

He seemed like he wanted to say something more, but he kept silent.

"Look, Sam. I don't want to discuss this right now," she said shortly. "I have things to do before I leave my house empty, since I have no idea when I'll be back."

He nodded. "Is there anything you need help with?"

"Actually—" she said, stopping to think for a moment. "If you could strip the beds for me and bring it all down here, I'd appreciate it."

He smiled brightly, then swept from the room without another word. His smile seemed to brighten her mood slightly.

She moved around the kitchen, checking for dirty dishes and wiping up any spots that were dirty. She felt a little stressed about it, unlike she'd been in eight years. She'd never made much of a mess in the house, but with two men in the house, she felt she had to make an extra effort to make sure it was clean.

When the washer was finished, she put the laundry in the dryer. She was just leaving the room when Sam appeared, carrying sheets and blankets from all three of the beds. She smiled thankfully, then stored them in a large bin in the laundry room before walking back into the kitchen.

"I prefer to hang sheets outside to dry when I can," she explained. "Makes them smell extra fresh."

"You're a regular Martha Stewart," he joked.

"Yeah, right," she said rolling her eyes. "I missed the episode on hunting."

They both laughed loudly, as Sam placed his hand on her shoulder. Dean walked in at that moment, being nosey.

"What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.

Sam and Jessie grinned at each other, as he removed his hand from her shoulder. They turned to Dean, then almost in unison, began to laugh again. It wasn't so much the joke, but his reaction to something so innocent was comical.

Dean rolled his eyes with impatience. "We gonna be leaving soon?"

"You know what, Dean," she replied. "Go ahead and leave. I know my way there. I have some cleaning to finish."

He glanced at his brother, who returned his look with impatience.

"Fine, I'll wait," he replied, stomping from the room.

"Just ignore him, Jessie," he said. "I think he's just irritable because we've had too much free time."

She looked at him strangely. "With the life you've had, I would think you'd both be happy to have some time off."

"Well, yeah, sometimes," he replied. "But I think he's just feeling restless."

She knew Sam was making excuses for him, which irritated her, although she understood why. She just let it go, pretending she didn't notice.

"Why don't you and Dean go ahead without me," she suggested. "It'll give me a chance to finish cleaning without anyone under foot."

He looked like he was about to refuse, then changed his mind. "That's a great idea," he replied. "I'll go get ready and when our clothes are finished drying we'll leave."

She nodded feeling a sense of relief.

She watched him leave with mixed feelings. She wanted him to stay, but she was happy to see his brother leave. Although she knew it was dangerous for her to get mixed up with a Winchester—she knew their track record—she just couldn't help feeling how she felt towards Sam.

When the laundry was finished, she handed the boys their clothes, then continued to clean. She vacuumed the livingroom, swept the kitchen floor, all before they left.

After they were gone, she cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the bedrooms and just tidied up around the house. She was trying to avoid leaving her sanctuary, but she couldn't once it was completely clean. So she double checked everything; made sure her security system was working properly, packed and double-checked her dufflebag, checked her weapons and ammo stocked in the car. When she was positive she was ready, she locked the house up and began the three hour drive to Bobby's house.

It had taken her almost two hours to finally leave her house, so she imagined Sam and Dean would probably be at Bobby's soon. She liked to drive fast, but she knew Dean drove fast as well, and she wasn't really in a hurry.

She was a little more than half way to Bobby's when her phone went off. She picked it up to see who it was–it was Dean–and hit reject. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, especially him. She decided to turn her phone off for the rest of the drive so she could have some peace and quiet.

It was dark when she pulled her car up to Bobby's house. She thought it was strange when she noticed the Impala was missing, but she was also relieved. At least she would have a few spare moments without the Winchesters around.

She knocked on Bobby's door, then walked in. There were lights on in the kitchen, so she headed there, dragging her dufflebag with her. When she walked in, Bobby was sitting at the table, reading and eating a sandwich.

"About time you got here, kid," he said.

"Yeah, sorry I took so long, Bobby," she explained. "It took me awhile to clean and then I drove the speed limit to get here."

He set the book down, gazing at her suspiciously. "What's been going on with you, Jess?"

She wasn't sure what he'd been told, so she looked at him as if she was confused. "What about?"

"Well for starters, what happened with Sam?" he asked. "Dean said it had something to do with you."

Jessie could practically feel her blood boiling in anger. She wasn't in the least surprised that Dean had blamed her, but to tell Bobby it was her fault, well that surprised her. She had known he wouldn't tell him what had happened, but she had thought he would've at least taken some of the blame.

"It had something to do with me, but it was Dean's fault," she replied, trying to keep her voice even.

"I really enjoy cryptic and mysterious, but could I get the Reader's Digest condensed version, please?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Bobby."

"That might be," he said raising his voice slightly. "But I want to hear it anyway, young lady."

She knew when he called her 'young lady', he meant business.

"Fine," she replied with a sigh.

He gazed at her with expectation, and impatience, waiting for her to speak.

"After a difficult hunt, chopping off the heads of baby vamps, I was upset. I decided to get completely shit-faced drunk and—" she paused for a moment, trying to think of the quickest and easiest way to gloss over the gory details. "Dean took advantage of me and that upset Sam."

She watched as Bobby seemed to be mulling everything around in his head, keeping his facial features even and untelling.

It took him a few moments, but once he realized the implications of what she'd said, he looked at her with disappointment.

"Dammit, Jess!" he said, slamming his fist on the table. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"That's it, Bobby, I wasn't thinking," she replied, feeling deeply insulted. "I was so drunk I don't remember a thing."

"Nothing?"

"No. Nothing."

He muttered something under his breath that she couldn't make out, then turned away from her. "I'm sorry, Jess."

"What are you sorry for, Bobby?"

He turned back to her, looking sullen. "It's my fault. I should've known something like this would happen."

"How the hell is it your fault?" she asked with a slight edge in her voice. "Dean is a grown man and he is _not_ your responsibility."

"Maybe not, but you are."

She wanted to tell him he was wrong, she was a grown woman and he wasn't her father or even her grandfather, but she couldn't. As cranky and crusty as he could be, she cared a great deal for him and didn't want to hurt him.

"I'm okay, Bobby," she said with a supportive smile. "We've worked everything out, for the most part."

He looked like he didn't believe her, but he didn't call her on it. Instead, he was more than happy to change the subject.

"Thanks for sending this book with Sam," he said, pointing to the book he'd been reading. "It's very interesting."

"If by interesting you mean scary as hell, than I agree."

"Why don't you get yourself settled, Jess," he suggested. "The boys went into town to get some stuff for me."

She looked at him suspiciously, she'd noticed a look in his eye when he mentioned the boys. "You mean you sent them out of the house so you could talk to me, right?"

"I never could get anything past you, could I?" he asked with a slight grin.

"Nope."

"Go on, get outta here," he said with a smile.

She returned his smile then took her dufflebag upstairs into 'her' room. She smiled as she walked in and noticed how fresh it smelled. Normally she was the one who had to wash the sheets before she slept in the bed. But it seemed like he'd been expecting her this time.

Once Jessie settled into the room, she laid down on the bed, on her belly, her head in her hands and began to think. It had been a very emotional day for her and she was drained. She'd never realized how draining it could be to worry about emotions, until she was forced to stare them in the face. She knew it had been easier when she ignored everything, but she hadn't realized how lonely she really was until she began spending time with Sam and Dean.

She didn't realize she'd fallen asleep, until someone was knocking at the door calling her name. She answered them drowsily, then closed her eyes again. She would have fallen back asleep instantly, if whoever had called her hadn't walked in the room, calling her name once again, only much more loudly.

"What?" she called sleepily as she opened her eyes halfway. Her lids felt too heavy to open fully.

"Bobby asked me to come get you," Sam said apologetically.

"Oh," she uttered quietly. Not really understanding.

"Hey," he called then sat on the bed next to her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, moving herself into a sitting position. "I guess I was tired."

He studied her for a moment, then placed his hand on her knee. "You sure it's not something else?"

She gazed at him pensively for a moment, then stood up. "I'm not sure what you're asking, but I'm fine."

He stood up after she did, looking apologetic. "I didn't mean anything by it."

She waited to see if he was going to say more, because it seemed like he wanted to say something, but he didn't.

"Sam, if this is about what happened between us—" she stopped, unsure what she was going to say.

"No, Jessie," he said, looking supportive. "I meant, uh, um–" He looked uncomfortable as he struggled for the words. "With all the emotional stuff that's been going on...it must be taking it's toll on you."

A few weeks ago, a comment like that would have upset her. And maybe even now, if uttered by someone other than him or Bobby. But right now, it made her feel much different. Only she wasn't in the mood to deal with it at the moment.

"I appreciate your concern, Sam. But I'm not really in the mood to discuss my feelings right now."

"What are you in the mood to discuss?"

She wasn't sure if he was fishing for something or really concerned, but she wasn't fully awake and definitely wasn't in the mood to talk about anything. She began to walk past him, when he reached out for her hand, grasping it firmly. She stopped immediately, trying to keep an even face.

She sighed. "What is it, Sam?"

He entwined his fingers with hers, then pulled her close. She was close enough, he could smell the faint scent of whatever cleaner she had been using to clean her house. It made him smile to think of her as a regular woman, instead of the hard-ass hunter he'd first met.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but—" he paused for a moment, waiting to see if she was going to interrupt, but she didn't. She seemed to have stopped breathing, anticipating what he was going to say. "I need to know how you feel about me, Jessie."

She closed her eyes in concentration and let out a long sigh. It was a few moments before she opened them again, trying very hard to keep control of herself. However, her hand began to tremble so much, Sam squeezed it in support.

"I told you before, Sam. I really do like you."

"I feel a but coming," he said, feeling disappointed.

She smiled lightly, hoping to alleviate his disappointment. "If we're going to work together, then I think things need to be a little less serious between us. At least until this werewolf is dead."

It seemed like he was still slightly disappointed by her response, but there seemed to be hope in his eyes.

He leaned close for a moment, kissing her gently on the forehead. "Okay. I think I can live with that."

She smiled. "Now, what did Bobby send you up here for?"

"Oh," he said in surprise, releasing his grip on her hand. "He wanted you to come and eat."

"Oh," she replied. It was her turn to be surprised. "Did he cook?"

"We all did," he replied with a strange grin.

"Should I be worried?" she teased.

"Maybe," he said with a smile. He paused for a moment, turning serious. "But I thought I should warn you about something." She thought she knew what he was about to say, but she didn't interrupt him. "Dean's in a terrible mood."

"What else is new?" she replied with sarcasm. She knew exactly why he would be in a bad mood, but she didn't let on.

Sam grinned. "Bobby told him off about the other night. It was strangely amusing to watch."

"A shame I missed it," she replied with a smile.

"I better be heading downstairs. I'm sure Bobby is wondering what's taking so long."

She nodded her head, watching him turn and leave the room. Once he was out of earshot, she released a very long sigh of relief. She was finding it immensly difficult trying to hold herself in check, when all she wanted to do was kiss Sam again. She tried to push that thought out of her head, but she was finding it increasingly difficult. Every so often, the image of him standing in the doorway to her bathroom, clad in nothing more than a towel, would pop into her head.

She went into the bathroom so she could clean up before heading downstairs. She was almost afraid to find out what kind of meal could be waiting for her, so she dawdled for a few moments to prepare herself. When she was ready, she walked to the stairs slowly.

As she got to the top of the stairs, she could smell delicious odors floating up from the kitchen. She was shocked, yet slightly amused. She tried to guess what had been cooked by the smell, but there were so many smells she couldn't tell.

When she walked into the kitchen, she was shocked by the spread of food on the table. There were carrots, corn, mashed potatoes, rolls and a pot roast. The table was even set with napkins.

She turned and smiled at Sam, who was smirking at her from the other side of the table. Bobby came walking from the counter, carrying a bowl full of gravy and set it down on the table.

"About time you made it down here," Bobby said. "I thought we were gonna have to start without you."

"Well, I heard you cooked and had to decide if I wanted to chance food poisoning," she teased.

"We all cooked," Dean said with a smile, as he picked something up from the counter. "We even got pie!"

She glanced at the pie he was holding in his hand with a questioning look. "What kind is it?"

"Apple," he replied. "Bobby said you don't like other kinds of fruit pies."

She smiled at Bobby meaningfully. "It's sweet you remembered."

He smiled lightly, then looked at her seriously. "You gonna sit down so we can eat, or what?"

She shook her head with a smile, then took her place at the table between Bobby and Sam.

"I didn't even know you boys could cook," she joked.

"There's a lot about us you don't know," Dean replied with a grin.

She rolled her eyes, ignoring his remark. She wondered why he was putting on an act when Sam had said he was in a miserable mood. Then she decided she didn't care. She just wanted to sit through dinner and forget about her cares for a short time.

It was a pleasant dinner that Jessie enjoyed very much. Although the meat was a little overcooked, the gravy was thin and salty and the potatoes were sticky like glue, it was one of the best meals she'd eaten in a long time. It almost felt like she had a family again.

After having pie with vanilla ice cream, Jessie grabbed her laptop and sat in the livingroom with Bobby. She knew by sitting there, neither Dean or Sam would say anything personal to her, which she wasn't in the mood to discuss at the moment.

The four of them spent the entire evening reading and researching. Dean was the first to head to bed, just after one in the morning. Sam was next just over an hour later, leaving only Bobby and Jessie.

Bobby moved to the study after Sam left, while Jessie stayed in the livingroom. She was hoping he would fall asleep before she did. After an hour and a half, and a few visits back and forth through the study on the way through the kitchen, Bobby finally fell asleep in his chair.

Jessie closed the door to his study quietly, then retrieved her car keys from her pocket. She walked to the front door, opening it silently, stepping out into the early morning.

**A/N: Always seems like one step forwards then two steps back for Jessie, doesn't it? **

**Thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Jessie walked into Bobby's house just after ten in the morning. She was greeted by a surly looking Bobby with an even surlier attitude.

"Where the hell were you, Jess?"

She swallowed hard. "I was following a lead."

"Why did you go alone?"

Sam and Dean walked into the room at that moment, wondering what was happening.

She glared at the brothers, then turned back to Bobby. "You need to stop treating me like a helpess child. All of you."

"What did we do?" Dean asked innocently.

"If you'd stop acting like a child, I wouldn't need to treat you like one," Bobby replied frustrated.

"You know what? I'm tired. So unless you're gonna make me stand here and listen to this, I'm gonna go lay down."

He stared at her for a moment, then turned and walked out of the room.

She glanced at the brothers, daring them to say something as she swept from the room. She went up to her room, laid down in bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Jessie woke up shortly after one in the afternoon with a headache.

She desperately wanted to go back to sleep, but she was wide awake and her head was pounding too loudly to allow her to. So she climbed out of bed and lumbered to the bathroom, then downstairs.

As she walked into the kitchen, Sam glanced up at her from the table, then looked back down at his laptop. She took a glass from the cupboard, filled it with water then pulled a couple of aspirin from her pocket and took them with the water.

"If you'd slept last night you might not have a headache now," Bobby said. He'd walked into the room unnoticed by Jessie only moments before.

"Yeah, thanks for that advice," she replied sarcastically.

Bobby glanced at Sam meaningfully, who stood up from his seat and left without a word.

"Bobby..."

"No, Jess. Sit down, please," he said, gesturing to the table.

She sat down at the table, then Bobby sat in the chair beside her.

"I'm sorry for being so short with you, kid," he said, sounding weary. "I'm just incredibly worried about you."

"I get that, Bobby..."

"No, you have no idea," he replied sighing loudly. "This thing you're hunting, it's an Alpha. You do know that, right?"

She looked at him pleadingly. "I do. That's why I need to do this alone."

"How's that?"

"I can't let Sam or Dean get hurt. This isn't their fight."

"Why should it be yours alone?"

She gazed at him sorrowfully. "It killed my entire family, Bobby. And now it wants me."

"Not your entire family, Jess," he replied with a supportive smile. "Look. I'm not used to this, uh, girly sharing my feelings stuff."

"You do alright," she replied with a smile. "I'm not your typical girly girl anyways."

"Yeah, thank God for that," he said with a wink. "But please—let Sam and Dean help you, kiddo. I want you to be around for a long time."

She sat silent and pensieve for a moment, before replying. "Fine. But I want it to be clear I'm doing this for you."

He grinned, patting her hand with his before leaving the kitchen.

Jessie rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. She wanted to relax herself, hoping the headache would go away. She was trying so hard to relax, she didn't hear anyone walk in the room and was startled by a pair of hands on her shoulders.

"What the hell?" she said as she turned her head quickly. It caused more pain in her head.

"It's just me," Sam replied. "Why don't you let me loosen up the knots in your shoulders? I'll bet your headache goes away."

She thought it might just be an excuse on his part to touch her, but a good shoulder rub did sound too tempting to pass by. She nodded her head in response, then relaxed again and closed her eyes.

Sam's hands were firm, yet gentle as he squeezed and caressed her muscles. It only took a couple of minutes to make her feel one hundred percent better, but it had been so long since she'd felt so relaxed, she didn't want it to end. She became so relaxed, she thought she might be able to fall asleep sitting up, until he pulled his hands off her shoulders abruptly.

"How's your headache?"

She opened her eyes, feeling slightly delirious. "Uh, gone."

He walked around to the other side of the table where his laptop was and sat down. "Good."

Jessie felt a little silly as she sat there with a mellow, happy grin on her face. But her smile made Sam smile back at her.

"Thank you, Sam."

He smiled in response, then turned his attention to his computer.

His attitude seemed a little strange to her, but she decided to push it out of her mind. She made herself a quick sandwich, poured herself a glass of milk and sat at the table to eat. She was almost finished eating when her phone rang. She took it out of her pocket, looking surprised by who was calling her.

"Mike?" she asked as she answered the phone. Sam's head popped up from his computer as he heard her speak, watching and listening intently.

"Jessie. Are you at home?"

"No, why?"

"It, uh, it's uh, Gina," he stammered.

"What about her?" she asked, feeling her stomach sink with dread.

"She's dead, Jess."

"What happened?"

"The same thing that happened to Dennis."

"Are you sure?" she asked, feeling her breath catch in her throat.

"Yes. Tom told me."

She felt tears developing in her eyes, making her self-conciously turn so Sam couldn't see her. "How is Tom taking it?"

"He's a wreck, Jess. They were supposed to be getting married in a couple of months."

"I'm so sorry, Mike. I'm gonna come by and see Tom as soon as I can."

"I think he'd like that, Jess. But..." she heard him sigh. "Be careful."

"I always am."

"Bye."

"Bye," she replied, ending the call. She wiped a tear from her eye absentmindedly, then pocketed her phone.

"Everything okay?" Sam asked with concern.

She looked at him, then looked away. His eyes were filled with concern, but she was feeling too guilty to allow it to reach her. She didn't think she deserved his worry. She knew it was her fault Gina was dead.

"No, it's not, Sam," she replied regretfully. "I gotta go." She stood up abruptly, trying to fish her keys out of her pocket. Her hands were shaking so violently, she was unable to grab a tight hold of them.

Meanwhile, Sam had gotten up from the table and stopped beside her.

"Where are you going?"

She glanced at him sorrowfully. "You remember the bar we went to?"

"Yeah."

"The owner Gina is dead. Killed."

"Hey," he said softly as he took hold of her hands. "What's going on?"

"She was killed by that thing," she replied looking up at him. "It's my fault."

"No, no it's not, Jessie."

"Yes, Sam, it is. It's taunting me. Teasing me. Playing with me. We have to find this thing and kill it before it hurts anyone else I care about."

"I'm not letting you go alone," he said, gripping her hands more tightly to make a point. "I'm coming with you."

"Fine. I don't have time to argue with you," she said, pulling her hands free of his grip. "Just grab whatever it is you need and let's go."

"Let me go tell Dean and Bobby where we're going first."

"No, Sam, I'm leaving right now," she said dangling her keys. "Follow now or stay behind."

He was torn between his loyalty to his brother and Bobby, and his feelings towards Jessie and a need to protect her.

"I'm coming," he replied as he hastily grabbed his phone from the table. As he turned to follow, she was already out the door so he had to run to catch up.

He climbed into the passenger side of the car and had barely shut the door before she drove off in a hurry. He immediately took his phone from his pocket and called Dean so he would know where they had went. He sounded angry, but he only told him to watch out for her then hung up.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sam asked tenatively a few minutes into their trip.

She glanced over at him quickly, a strange smile on her face. "Of course, Sam."

"Why did you let me come along?"

"If I hadn't, you and Dean would have come after me. You already knew where I was going."

"That's true. But you could have been long gone before we could be ready to leave."

She sensed he was fishing for something, but she wasn't quite sure what that could be. She'd been honest with him earlier, telling him she wasn't ready for any close, personal involvement with him, so she was stumped.

"I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at Sam," she replied suspiciously.

He was silent for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. "It has something to do with Dean, doesn't it?"

She narrowed her eyes, giving him a sideways glance. "Why would you say that?"

He snorted in disbelief. "Answering a question with a question, huh? I guess that's a yes."

"Sam. This could end up being a very long, awkward drive."

He shook his head with a grin, snorting again. "You are so much like Dean it's unbelievable, Jessie." He waited a moment for a reaction. But when there wasn't one, he continued. "Changing the subject to avoid discussing what's actually wrong. That's his M.O. and apparently yours too."

"Nothing's wrong, Sam," she replied curtly, ignoring his comment.

"I never asked if anything was wrong," he replied, slightly frustrated. "I asked if something was going on with Dean."

She bit her lip lightly, fighting the urge to scream and tell him it was none of his business, which was her first instinct. But she knew if she was going to hunt with the Winchesters, she had to realize that anything that happened with one brother, was always the other brother's business. They were too close to keep secrets for very long. The other always found out about it–eventually.

"It's between me and Dean."

"Yeah, okay," he said with disbelief. "It sure sounds like it."

She was about to dismiss his last comment, but suddenly, something else occurred to her. "He said something to you, didn't he?"

"About what?"

"Now who's answering a question with a question?" she teased.

"Touché," he replied, then sat silently.

They drove in silence for a few minutes, before Sam had the nerve to ask her questions again.

"What's going on with you and Dean?" he asked bluntly.

She glanced over at him quickly, then sighed in frustration. "He gave me a warning."

"He gave you a warning?"

"Did I stutter?" she asked harshly. She hadn't meant to sound so angry.

He sighed with irritation, then shook his head. Once again she reminded him of Dean.

"Will you please stop avoiding the subject?"

"Since you said please—" she replied sarcastically.

He threw his hands up in frustration, then took his phone from his pocket. He called Bobby, making sure Dean had told him where they'd gone. He hoped the distraction would calm Jessie down–not that it had ever worked with his brother–but he had to try something.

"Jessie—"

"Dammit, Sam!" she replied with obvious frustration. "Why do you want me to talk about this?"

"Because it's bothering you and you should be able to talk to someone," he replied with a supportive smile.

"Who are you, Dr. Phil?"

He rolled his eyes heavily. "I'd swear you're reading a script of Dean's old insults and comebacks."

She rolled her eyes this time. "I'll make you a deal, Sam. You tell me what he said to you and then I'll do the same."

He turned to glance at her, studying her face. "He just warned me to be careful where you're concerned."

She snorted in disbelief. "I'm not surprised."

"What did he say to you?"

She breathed in deeply, choosing her words carefully in her head. "He's afraid I'm going to hurt you. He's only trying to look out for you."

He looked at her with shock. "You're defending him?"

"No," she replied quickly. "But that's what his motivation is."

He looked like he was going to say something more, but he didn't. He decided to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the ride, or at least until he was spoken to again. He needed time to ponder some things.

The car fell into an awkward silence that lasted the entire ride. Neither spoke to each other as they got out of the car. But as they approached the porch of a small white vinyl sided house, Jessie finally opened her mouth.

"I've known this guy a long time, Sam," she said with sadness. "He loved this woman very much and she loved him just as much. Please let me talk to him."

He shook his head in agreement.

The man they had come to see, Tom, answered the door with a long face, but managed a slight smile as he saw Jessie. He hugged her tightly, trying desperately not to cry. Then he invited her and Sam into the house.

Jessie talked with Tom, while Sam made an excuse to look around the house. After a thorough search, he found nothing of interest. So he returned to the livingroom, where they were still talking.

Jessie gazed at Sam expectationally, but the look returned was not promising. She bid her farewell to Tom, then led Sam from the house.

"I need to get in to see that body," she remarked to Sam, as they were walking back to her car.

"Then let's go," he replied nonchalantly.

"What, break in?"

He raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "You mean you've never broke into some place looking for evidence?"

"Of course I have," she replied. "But not here in this town. I know too many people here."

"Fine. Then drop me off and I'll call you when I'm done."

She thought about it for a moment, then opened the door to her car. "Get in."

He grinned then hopped in the car.

Jessie drove the car downtown, stopping a block from the hospital. "Don't get caught, Sam. You've been seen with me. I don't need the hassle."

"I won't get caught," he replied, smiling confidently.

She rolled her eyes as he climbed out of the car. She watched him walk down the street, then turned the radio up loud to wait for him to come back. She really hoped he was as good as he thought he was. She really didn't need anymore complications.

It was almost an hour before Sam returned to the car. The sun had gone down while he was gone, so she was uncertain of the look on his face in the darkness. But he wasn't running which relieved her.

He climbed into the car with a smile on his face. "Told ya."

"Now who sounds like Dean?" she joked.

He laughed lightly, but didn't respond to her comment.

"Well, you were right. It was a werewolf that killed her," he said grimly.

"Dammit!" she yelled, slamming her fist down on the steering wheel. "I gotta catch this thing before it hurts anyone else I know."

"We will, Jessie," he said calmly. "Just relax."

"Would you be able to relax if he was killing your friends and acquaintances?"

"No, no, you're right. I'm sorry."

"I know you are, Sam," she said, starting the car. "I'm just frustrated. It's fine."

"Would you like me to drive?"

She looked at him strangely, almost as if she was amused. "Normally I might get angry if someone asked to drive her. But I guess I'm in a charitable mood."

He smiled and walked around to the driver's side, while she slid over to the passenger side. After he adjusted the seat and mirrors, he pulled away carefully and began to drive.

They hadn't made it too far out of town, when she turned to him and began laughing.

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

"You drive like an old lady," she teased.

"I do not," he replied, feeling insulted. "I'm just taking it easy with your car."

"She's not gonna break if you drive over the speed limit."

"Yeah, okay, _Dean_," he mocked with a grin.

"Ha, ha, very funny, _granny_," she replied with a laugh.

He rolled his eyes mockingly and laughed, then reached his hand over the seat and took her hand in his.

Jessie almost pulled away as he took her hand, but she resisted the impulse, even though she knew she shouldn't. She knew she shouldn't be encouraging his behaviour, but it was only hand holding. She decided she could live with that.

As they were just outside of Sioux Falls, Sam pulled the car into a diner parking lot.

"Are you as hungry as I am?" he asked.

She looked at him strangely. "It is getting late."

"Then let's go."

She smiled and followed him inside, making a quick call to Bobby so he knew not to wait on them for dinner.

They ate and talked, having a very civil conversation the entire time they were at the diner. Jessie felt confident enough to share some things with Sam she never would have shared with a casual acquaintance. And he shared some things about his life that he hadn't spoke about with anyone else, even his brother.

They argued about paying the bill when it came. Jessie won the argument, but they came to a compromise. Sam left the tip for the waitress. Both of them were able to walk away with their dignity and pride.

As they walked to the car, Jessie had walked up to the driver's side, forgetting Sam still had her keys. She turned around to say something to him, but he was standing right behind her.

"Can I have my keys, please?"

"I thought you said I could drive," he said with a raised eyebrow.

"But you did drive," she said impatiently. "Now gimme my keys."

He held the keys up for her to grab, but as she reached for them, he raised them higher. Dangling them just out of her reach.

She put her hands on her hips, clearly not amused. "You've had your fun, now hand 'em over."

"You're tired. I'm not gonna let you drive."

"It's my car, Sam."

"Then get your keys," he replied, lifting them higher.

She glared at him, unamused. She knew he was too tall for her to reach them, but she didn't just want to give in. As she tried to reach the keys, she nearly tripped, slamming against him.

He caught her firmly around the waist before she could fall, then wrapped his other arm around her. He leaned in, placing his lips on hers, kissing her lightly. She seemed surprised at first, but gave in, kissing him back.

They kissed for a couple of minutes, until an old couple walked by them, the old lady commenting on how cute young love was. That was enough to break Jessie out of the moment. She reached behind her back, snatching the keys from Sam's hand.

"Get in the car," she said with a smirk.

He smiled and climbed into the passenger side, looking in her direction. She ignored him completely, backing up the car and getting out onto the road. He waited until she seemed to be calm before speaking.

"Are we going to talk about the kiss? Or are you gonna tell me it was just an act to get your keys back?"

She glanced at him quickly with narrowed eyes, then turned her attention back to the road. He was right, and she didn't like it. That's exactly the excuse she was going to use. He had her so completely flustered, she couldn't even come up with another excuse, so she stayed silent.

He laughed in amusement shortly after he asked his question with no response. He knew he'd finally gotten to her.

Everything was quiet in the car until they were on the road just outside of Bobby's house. That was when she pulled the car over to the side of the road and got out, walking around to the front of the car.

Sam got out of the car a few moments later, stopping beside her, waiting patiently.

Jessie looked at him with frustration. "Sam, I told you we can't do this."

"I know you did."

"Then what's the problem?"

"That's just it, Jessie," he replied wistfully. "You're the one having the problem with this, not me."

She gazed at him with disbelief and sighed. "You're not being fair, Sam."

"No, Jessie, you're not being fair. To me or yourself."

She smiled in disbelief at his audacity. "I can't do this job with distractions, Sam. So I have to choose between a personal life and the job."

"Why can't you have both?"

Her frustration was beginning to turn into anger. "Since when? I don't see you or your brother with much of a personal life, beyond yourselves that is."

"I know but—"

"No, buts, Sam!" she said sounding irate. "I don't know any hunters who've had a happily ever after."

"You're right," he replied calmly. "But if you don't try, how will you know?"

"I just do," she answered calmly.

"What about your parents and grandparents?" he asked. "It may have ended badly for them, but at least they had many years of happiness."

She stared at him with dismay. "That's not fair."

He closed the gap between them, grasping her hands in his, squeezing them firmly. "Fair or not, it's true. Why can't we at least try?"

She tried pulling her hands away, but he grasped them tighter and pulled her closer as she fought against him. "Let go of me, Sam."

"I'm not gonna do that until you hear me out," he replied flatly.

She lifted her leg to kick him, but he had been expecting that. He moved out of the way, then grabbed her tightly, pushing her up against the hood of the car. She was fighting under his grip, even as he leaned closer, placing his lips on hers. The moment their lips made contact, she stopped fighting and began to kiss him back.

It wasn't long before he leaned her back on the hood, kissing her passionately, one hand supporting her head, the other was under her shirt, grasping her bare shoulder firmly.

While the warmth from the engine–which she could feel through the hood–helped to warm her in the cool May evening, it didn't take long before the heat was too much for her skin to bear. She pushed Sam off of her at that moment, crying, "Stop!"

He backed off instantly, helping her up from the car. He stood a step away from her, breathing heavily.

"Sam," she said, still breathing heavily. "We can't do this, not now."

"I think you need to explain to me exactly what '_not now _' means, Jessie."

She sat down on the bumper of the car, waiting until Sam did the same.

"I know it seems like I'm leading you on, Sam, but that's not my intention," she said, shifting her position on the bumper so she could face him. "I really do have feelings for you. But, it's been so long since I've even had a friend, let alone a lover and I'm not sure if I can handle it."

He smiled supportively. "I think you can handle anything."

She smirked, shaking her head. "Maybe, maybe not," she replied unsure. "But what I do need is a friend. Do you think we could slow things down and become friends first, Sam?"

He sat pensively for a few moments, pondering her question. "Yeah. I can do that."

She stood up smiling. "Then shake on it."

He stood up, smiling back at her. "I can do one better," he replied, then hugged her tightly.

She was taken off guard by the hug, but she didn't pull away. She stayed in his arms for a few moments, until his grip loosened.

"I think we better get going before someone comes looking for us," Sam said with a grin.

She nodded. "You're right. Now get in the car."

**A/N: Seems to me, that Sam has been taking pointers from his brother, doncha think? lol. At least they spent some alone time together. Who knows what will happen between them now.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

When Jessie and Sam arrived back at Bobby's house, they were greeted by an irritable Dean. He seemed to be angry with his brother for leaving him behind, at least that was what he was telling them. Jessie suspected it was something more than that, but she was in no mood to get into it with him. She was on an almost euphoric high that she didn't really want to come down from.

While Sam was busy explaining to Dean and Bobby what they had found while they were out, Jessie poured herself a shot of whiskey, swallowed it in one gulp, then went upstairs and climbed into 'her' bed. She fell asleep almost instantly.

Jessie woke up early the next morning before the sun had even risen. Her watch said it was almost five a.m. and she wanted to go back to sleep, but she couldn't, she was wide awake.

After lying in bed for a short time debating whether she should get up or not, she finally did get up and have a shower. When she was done she went downstairs. By this time it was half way to six a.m. and she was hungry. She hadn't actually eaten much at the diner with Sam the night before, she had been too busy talking and enjoying his company.

She made a pot of coffee before searching the kitchen for food. She found a jar of peanut butter, which she used to make some toast. She didn't feel like cooking and she didn't want to wake anyone up. She was used to her solitude, so being able to steal a few quiet moments to herself made her feel much more calm and destressed.

She sat at the table with her toast and coffee, watching the shadows in the kitchen move as the sun came shining through the windows. She was trying desperately to think of something other than what had happened the night before, but she couldn't push it out of her mind no matter how hard she tried. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help herself. She needed to get her mind onto other things, such as the Alpha werewolf, but the all too fresh memories of the night before kept flooding in.

When she finished her toast, she opened Sam's laptop, which happened to be sitting on the kitchen table. She began to search through the news around the area the werewolf had last been seen. She was disappointed—but at the same time relieved—when she didn't find anything. It meant no one she knew was dead. She didn't think she could handle losing anyone else. She'd had way too much loss in her life, it was something you could never get used to no matter how seasoned the hunter.

She was way too wrapped up in researching to notice when Dean came walking into the kitchen, until he poured himself a cup of coffee. She raised her head up to acknowledge his presence, then went back to researching.

He sat down at the table across from her, watching her with interest. He drank nearly half of what was in his cup before he decided to speak to her.

"What're you doing with Sam's computer?"

She looked up, glancing at him with irritation. "Watching porn, what do you think?"

He couldn't help but laugh slightly at her response. "Where's yours?"

"Upstairs," she replied. "Sam's was already here so I decided to use it. I didn't think he would mind."

He gave her a shrewd look. "What happened between the two of you yesterday?"

She'd been prepared for this question, or she might have given herself away. "The usual. Talking, driving, eating."

He seemed to be studying her, looking for some kind of tell, or reaction to give herself away. He didn't know if anything had gone on between his brother and Jessie, but he did suspect it.

"The usual, huh?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yup. Nothing to write home about," she replied sarcastically.

He decided to try another approach; reverse psychology.

"I just thought you were the one responsible for his good mood and perma-smile," he said with a grin.

She glared at him, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "If you're accusing me of something, why don't you just come right out and say it, _Dean_?"

"I'm not accusing you of anything," he replied flatly. "I'm just surprised he spent several hours alone with you and came home in a good mood."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked defensively.

He seemed to be grinning with delight by her response. "I'm just shocked that anyone could spend a few hours alone with you and not be in a bad mood by the end of it."

She snorted. "Oh, I see how it is. You have a case of sour grapes."

"Sour grapes?"

"Yup, it's written all over your face," she replied teasingly.

"What is?"

"You're jealous," she said with a laugh.

"Jealous? You've got to be kidding?" he said with disbelief.

"Yeah. You're jealous because I can get along with your brother without resorting to anger or sarcasm."

"I am _not_ jealous of my brother."

"Really?" she said slyly. "What if something did happen between us? You gonna tell me you wouldn't be jealous?"

He laughed nonchalantly. "I should've known nothing happened between the two of you."

She smiled triumphantly, but said nothing else. His attempt at reverse psychology had amused her so much she had to play his game in return. There was one thing she'd never told the brothers about her time at university. She may have majored in Computer Sciences, but she had also minored in Psychology. It had come in handy over the years while she was hunting. And obviously served her well against Dean. He'd never seen it coming.

She turned her attention back to the computer, trying to keep from looking smug. She knew he didn't suspect anything and that was good. She knew Bobby would be much more difficult to fool though. She really hoped that Sam had dealt with it the night before, she wasn't sure she could handle him right now. Everytime she thought about Sam she would smile involuntarily. She couldn't help it. But it needed to stop before someone suspected something.

A few minutes later, Bobby came into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee, sitting down at the table with Jessie. She had raised her head to acknowledge his presence, but she didn't say anything and neither did he.

Dean left the room shortly afterwards, leaving only the two of them in the room together. Jessie could feel a growing tension in the silence between them, even though she'd kept her attention on what she was researching online.

"Would you like me to make you breakfast?" she asked him, hoping to break the tension.

"Did you eat yet?" he asked.

"I had toast. But I don't mind cooking for you."

He looked at her shrewdly. "Or are you trying to avoid talking to me?"

"Why would I do that?" she asked.

"Come on, kid," he said with disappointment. "Sam came back grinning like an idjit last night. Do you really think I wouldn't notice?"

"We had a nice trip, Bobby," she replied, trying to keep her voice from giving her away. "We talked and had a few laughs."

"Please just tell me you didn't, uh—"

"No! No, we didn't," she said before he could elaborate.

"Good," he said, narrowing his eyes shrewdly. "Good. Now I'll take that breakfast, if you're still offering."

She smiled affectionately. "Of course I'm still offering, old man."

"Then get cookin'. I'm not gettin' any younger ya know," he replied with a smile.

She smiled, standing up from the table. She gave him a mocking look, then went to the fridge, pulling out a carton of eggs and placed it on the counter. She opened the ice box, and found some sausage to go with the eggs.

When she was done cooking and had made a plate for Bobby, she made one for Dean, because he asked, and one for Sam when he finally made it to the kitchen. She sat at the table after they'd been served and nibbled on some sausage.

"Would it kill you to buy some fruit or something, old man?" she teased.

The brothers stared at each other in shock, but Bobby was smiling.

"I buy fruit."

"Yeah, in pies."

He laughed. "Hey, it's still fruit."

She smiled and stood up from the table. "I'm gonna go into town right now and get you some real groceries."

"No rabbit food, Jess," he called as she walked out of the door.

Jessie took her time at the grocery store. She wasn't in a hurry to get back to Bobby's, at least not at the moment. She was feeling incredibly awkward being around Sam now, and was seriously regretting everything. She knew that he'd promised to take things slow. But everytime she'd caught his eye, she saw more than that and she was sure that both Dean and Bobby could see it as well.

After she'd packed up the car, she drove through town slowly. It wasn't a big town so slowly took a lot of effort. Her windows were down, since it was a beautifully warm May morning. She was nearly out of town when she swore she heard a woman's scream. She wanted to ignore it chalking it up to her imagination, but she couldn't.

She turned her car around, turning down a side road where the houses were spaced out by large properties, pulling her car over to the side of the road and began to listen. She thought she heard screaming, but she couldn't be sure. She reached under the passenger side, pulling out a hand gun, then under her seat she pulled out a spare clip.

She got out of the car hastily stuffing her keys into her jeans pocket, then checked to make sure her gun was loaded–which it was–then tucked it into the back of her pants as she approached the nearest property.

The nearest house was a small wooden house that seemed run down and need a lot of repairs, including a fresh coat of paint. As soon as she walked up to the front step, she saw what appeared to be fresh blood. The front door was slightly ajar, so she stood on the side of it, listening. She thought she could hear some movement inside, but she couldn't be positive. She took a long, deep breath, then moved slowly through the open door, into a cluttered and messy livingroom.

Jessie noticed there was a trail of blood that continued from the doorway, through the livingroom that led to another door, which was also slightly ajar. She stepped slowly through the room, stopping beside the door at the far end of the livingroom, listening. She could hear whimpering from somewhere on the other side of the door.

She swallowed hard, taking another long, deep breath then kicked the door open widely, running through it. She was in a bright, but messy, kitchen. The kitchen table was on it's side, chairs were lying in broken heaps on the floor and broken dishes were shattered all over. There was a woman cowering in the corner of the room by the fridge. She was bleeding profusely from a large gash on her forehead and several cuts and abrasions on her arms and legs.

She had to walk slowly over to the woman, being careful to avoid the broken shards of ceramic and glass strewn across the floor. As she laid a hand on the woman's arm, she jumped, opening her eyes widely and let out a screech. Jessie had to calm her down, doing her best to keep her quiet.

"What happened?" she asked in hushed tones.

"This thing attacked me," she whined.

"What did it look like?"

"I don't know. It had claws, freaky eyes and sharp teeth," she whimpered. "It growled like an animal but stood up like a man. What the hell was that thing?"

Jessie reached up and grabbed a towel that was sitting on the counter beside the fridge. She pushed it up to the wound on the woman's head and told her to hold it there.

"Where are you going?" the woman asked as she stood up.

"I'm going to go find that thing and kill it," she said, pulling her gun from her pants. "Just stay here and—"

That was all she managed to get out of her mouth before a blurry figure ran into the room from the livingroom door, knocking her aside.

She fell sideways into some broken dishes, suffering cuts on her arms, legs and face, but she was able to turn around and fire her gun at the creature. She missed it, giving it a chance to lunge at her again. She managed to push herself away from the attack by using her legs to push against him, sending her sliding across the floor on her back.

She was stunned as she watched the creature bend down, grasp the woman by one shoulder, then rip her heart out with it's other hand. Jessie had already suspected it was the Alpha werewolf—no other werewolf could possibly turn in the middle of the day—but now she was positive. She knew even before he turned his twisted, grotesque face towards her—his maw dripping with the scarlet blood from the now dead woman's heart—that it was him.

She had no idea how she was going to kill him. Her previous attempt had failed, a silver bullet through his heart hadn't managed to kill him. And now she realized her gun wasn't loaded with silver bullets anyway. The only weapon she had that could even hurt him was her silver knife, which she always wore in a sheath around her left ankle.

As the beast approached her, he was gazing at her with his ancient, hungry eyes that seemed to be longing to make a meal of her as well. But he stopped short, almost grinning with amusement.

"I'm going to kill you, Jessie," he hissed through his angry, sharp fanged mouth. "But not today."

Her heavy breathing slowed for a moment, unsure she had heard him properly. She was reaching for the knife in her ankle sheath, when he turned around and walked out the way he had come, leaving her to stare at the vacant space in astonishment.

She slowed her breathing down, listening carefully, but she heard nothing. She glanced at the dead woman sadly, before scrambling to her feet, using the upended table as support. Once on her feet, she was able to see the cuts and scratches she received from the broken dishes. Most of them were superficial, but there were a couple deeper ones she would have to take care of when she could. She even had to pull a jagged piece of glass out of the soft part of her upper arm. Letting out a strangled moan as she did so.

As soon as she was positive she was going to stay upright, she left the house and headed back to her car. She fought to get the car keys out of her pocket without dropping them in her haste, unlocking the passenger side door, then clicking the unlock button. She reached into the glove compartment, digging around until she found her spare cell phone.

She powered up the phone, hoping it still had enough battery life to make a phone call. She normally made sure it was always charged, but she'd been distracted lately. She decided to chastise herself for that later, then called the Sioux Falls sheriff department.

As soon as the call was complete, she got into her car and drove as fast as she could out of the area. She made it back to Bobby's house in under two minutes, it should have taken five or more from where she was. She sat in her car for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts, before walking into the house.

No one was in the room to greet Jessie when she walked in, but as she walked into the kitchen, Dean walked in as well, coming from the livingroom.

"What the hell?" he yelled as he seen the numerous cuts all over her. "Bobby! Sam!"

"Dean, shut up!" she yelled back. "I'm fine."

"You are _not_ okay," he replied with concern. "Have you seen you?"

Bobby and Sam came running into the room, looking shocked and exasperated.

"What the hell happened?" Bobby asked, a deep frown wrinkled his forehead making him look much older than his years.

She proceeded to explain everything that had happened, then suggested that Bobby needed to call the sheriff. She would want to know the truth about what had happened. Then she asked the brothers to go and get the groceries out of the car. She watched them leave—Sam seemed to be much more reluctant to leave—before she headed upstairs to look after her wounds.

She was standing in the bathroom naked, except for her underwear, when she heard a knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" the voice called quietly with concern.

She sighed, unlocking the door so he could come in, then locked it again, turning her back to him.

"What is it, Sam?" she asked with irritation. She was in too much pain to try and be civil or worry about his feelings.

"Uh, um," he stammered, looking away from her. "I was wondering if you needed help cleaning up the wounds on your back."

It took her a moment to realize she was standing in the room with Sam, almost completely naked. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her this exact way before, but this time it was different. He had feelings for her. It made her feel more than naked.

"Sam, I don't think this is a good idea," she said, wrapping her arms around the front of her.

He walked up behind her slowly, running a finger gently down her back, starting from her shoulder, stopping as he reached her waist. He smiled as he noticed the goosebumps he'd raised on her back.

"Sam, please," she said with exasperation. "I think you need to leave."

He walked around her, placing his hands on either side of her arms, which were still wrapped around herself.

"Are you okay?"

"Dammit, Sam," she replied with frustration. "Can't this wait?"

"No," he replied adamantly. "You wanna know why?"

She sighed in frustration. "Fine. Why?"

"Because I know that while you're standing here exposed, you'll be more honest with me," he replied, smiling triumphantly.

"Sam," she whined, trying to cover more of herself with her arms.

"I know you're acting like you're fine but I know that you're not."

"You know what, Sam? You are _not_ a shrink and I am _not_ gonna play this game with you right now," she replied sternly.

"Why do you have to hide your feelings?" he asked with frustration. "You do know that if anything, I understand."

She sighed loudly and shook her head. "What do you want me to say, Sam? That I'm scared. I would be stupid not to be." She threw her arms up in frustration. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to break. And just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I feel the need to puke my feelings everywhere!"

Sam was silent, watching her wrap her arms around herself again, before he was able to speak.

"I didn't say you were going to break, Jessie. I just want you to know you can confide in me if you need to."

"Well thanks for the offer but I'm fine," she replied harshly. "Now get out."

"You sure you don't want me to help you?"

"No."

He nodded then walked out of the room without another word.

Jessie locked the door after he left, then stood staring at the door for a few moments thinking. She knew Sam had meant well, and she wasn't really angry at him for trying, in fact, she thought it was kind of sweet. The problem was, they had a connection on a deeper level, like he seemed to understand her, and that frightened her almost as much as the Alpha werewolf.

She walked back over to the mirror to glance over her wounds. Most of them weren't deep, but it almost looked like she'd fallen onto a large cheese grater. There was hardly a part of her body that didn't have at least one scratch, or cut on it, even her head and face. The only part she was positive that was cut free was her feet.

She threw her underwear onto the floor, before jumping into the shower. She let the water cascade over her, washing out her wounds. Most of them were already closed and beginning to scab over, but the water softened the scabs and any of the wounds that still had pieces of glass or ceramic in them were washed away, making the wounds bleed once again.

She was looking down, watching the once clear water fall over her skin, turn a red color as it ran down her body. It looked much worse than it felt, but that wasn't to say she wasn't in pain. Her head was aching from hitting it against the wall as she was knocked down by the werewolf, and her muscles were aching as well.

She stayed in the shower for a little longer than was necessary. Mainly because it felt warm and comforting, but also, she was trying to avoid facing anyone else at the moment.

She wasn't even sure why everyone was making a big fuss. It wasn't the first time some creature had gotten the jump on her, or the first time she came away from a fight with injuries. She expected Bobby to make a fuss–he did think of her as his responsibility–but she hated that the Winchesters treated her like she was just some girl who couldn't take care of herself. She'd managed to survive almost nine years without their assistance and their level of training, and she planned on living many more without their help.

After she was finished dressing, she walked down into the kitchen with her ripped clothes and placed them in a drawer Bobby often kept rags for various reasons. Bobby and the Winchesters seemed to be watching her, but as she turned around, the brothers avoided her gaze, but Bobby didn't.

"Feel better now?" he asked her.

She glanced at him curiously. "I was fine before."

"You didn't look fine."

"And I hurt," she replied frustrated. "But I'm okay."

"I hope so."

She was angry by his response, but she decided not to react. She didn't want to continue with subject.

"Did the groceries get put away?"

He gazed at her hard for a moment, before replying. "Yes."

"Did you talk to Sheriff Mills?"

"Yeah. She wants to talk to you though," he replied with a very slight grin.

She laughed. "Any excuse for Jodie to come and visit, huh Bobby?" she teased.

He looked uncomfortable, glaring at her then the Winchesters, daring them to say anything. All that could be heard was quiet chuckling.

Once the room fell into an awkward silence, she decided it would be okay drop her guard slightly. She went to the cupboard, grabbed a few painkillers, then washed them down with a shot of whiskey. She waited for someone to say something to her, but no one did. It actually surprised her.

She went up to her room to retrieve her laptop and brought it down into the livingroom. She plopped herself onto an empty chair, then began doing research. She knew the werewolf was taunting her, but she was positive he had some kind of routine or pattern, and she wasn't going to give up until she found it.

Her head began to ache not even an hour later, despite the painkillers. She figured the effort of looking at the computer screen was making it worse, but she didn't want to stop. Not only did she want answers, but the screen in front of her kept everyone from bothering her. It was only a few minutes later that the Sheriff showed up, so she was able to take a break and speak with her.

The talk with Jodie went fine, and was very brief, just as she had expected. She took Jessie's word about what happened at face value and the only reason she had come to speak to her in person was so she could visit with Bobby. Not that she would admit it, or Bobby. She wanted to tease him, but she couldn't do it. She would be happy for him if he could find happiness. He deserved it more than anyone she knew.

When she went back to do more research on her computer, she could barely look at the screen for more than a couple of minutes at a time without dizzying pain. The pain in her head had gotten much worse than a usual head injury, but she didn't want to admit it anyone.

She got up from her seat quietly and snuck outside without being seen. She got into her car, sat behind the wheel and put the keys into the ignition. But as she sat there, she couldn't start the engine because she was having a hard time seeing clearly. She was there for a minute, before she heard a rap at the window of the driver's side. Turning her head slowly, she could tell who it was, even though her vision was blurry.

"What are you doing, Jessie?" Dean asked as he opened the door.

She sighed in defeat. "Can you take me to the hospital, Dean? Please?"

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked with worry.

"Just please take me. I don't feel well."

He wanted to argue with her, make her tell him more, but the look in her eyes frightened him. He waited until she moved in to the passenger's seat, then jumped into the driver's seat and took off without another word.

The ride to the hospital was pretty quiet. Jessie explained why she needed to go and then she was silent. She couldn't talk even if she had wanted to because she felt sick to her stomach, and she was afraid to get sick all over her car.

After telling the triage nurse what was wrong, and handing over her insurance information, she was taken in immediately and sent for a CAT scan. She fell into unconcsciousness while waiting for the test.

Dean called Bobby as soon as Jessie had been taken in. He paced the waiting room floor anxiously, until Bobby and Sam showed up. He wasn't allowed to see her since he wasn't family, but Bobby was listed as her next of kin, allowing him to be able to visit with her.

When they got up to her room, she was unconcious and hooked up to several machines. Bobby began to pace anxiously, looking much older than his years. He would glance at Sam and Dean every once in awhile, pain etched in his eyes. Neither of them knew what to say, so they kept silent.

The doctor walked into the room about thirty minutes later. He checked her chart, her vitals, then turned his attention to Bobby.

"What's wrong with her, doc?" Bobby asked anxiously.

"You're daughter's brain had begun to swell due to an injury she sustained earlier in the day," he replied.

Bobby glanced at the Winchesters frightened. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"Well, we're not sure, Mr. Singer. Her brain had swollen enough to cause pressure on her optic nerve. But as it stands now, the medication we've given her to bring the swelling down seems to be working. We're cautiously optimistic at this moment."

"Thank you, doctor," he said shaking his hand.

The doctor nodded, then left the room.

Once the doctor was gone, Bobby sat down in the chair beside the bed looking weary and sorrowful. Both Sam and Dean stood in the room silently waiting. Neither knew what to say to make Bobby feel better.

It wasn't long before the awkward silence became too much for Dean. He needed a distraction and he thought it might help Bobby as well.

"Bobby," he called quietly. He waited until he looked up at him before going on. "Why did the doctor call Jessie your daughter?"

He looked confused for a moment. "Because she is."

"How is that possible?" Dean asked with confusion.

"Not that way you idjit," he replied with a smirk of disbelief. "Although she was an adult when her grandfather died, I insisted on adopting her in case anything ever happened."

He shook his head looking confused. "And you never told us about this?"

"Why does everything have to be about you, Dean?"

"It doesn't, but–"

"But, what?" he asked shortly. "She didn't tell you either, did she?"

Dean glanced at his brother for assistance, but he only shrugged his shoulders in reply. He decided to leave the room for a short time to give Bobby time to calm down.

Sam hung around the room, not being able to leave Bobby or Jessie alone. He felt like he needed to stay and support Bobby, and couldn't find himself able to leave for more than a few minutes at a time. He knew his brother had been watching him with suspicion, but at the moment he didn't care. He just wanted to make sure she was okay, before he would relax.

Sam was able to steal a few moments alone with her shortly before visiting hours were over, while Bobby had gone to use the washroom. He spoke gently to her while holding her hand, hoping she would wake, but she didn't.

Once visiting hours were over, he drove Bobby home in Jessie's car, not trusting him to be able to drive while he was upset.

**A/N: Sam seems to be pushing Jessie pretty hard, doesn't it? Do you think she'll respond well to that? How do you think it will change things when she gets out of the hospital?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Bobby and the Winchesters arrived at the hospital early the next morning to wait for visiting hours. Bobby was able to get into the room earlier to speak to the doctor, while the brothers had to wait in the waiting room.

"How is she doing?" Sam asked Bobby as soon as they were allowed in the room.

He turned to Sam looking stoic. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"

Sam walked over to the curtain that was around the bed, pulling it back slightly, peeking his head through. He stopped abruptly as he saw Jessie sitting up in bed.

"Are you gonna come in, or just stand there and gawk?" she asked with a smile.

He returned her smile, walking in to stand beside her. She gestured to the chair beside the bed, so he sat down on the edge of the chair, leaning forward.

"I'm surprised to see you so awake and alert already," he said.

"It takes more than a head injury to finish me off, Sam," she said confidently.

"Yeah, but—" he cut himself off, unsure what he was going to say.

She reached her hand out, lying it on top of his hands, which where folded together. "I bet you feel foolish for worrying about me now, dont you?"

Her smile disappeared as he looked at her seriously. "Are you kidding me? You scared the hell out of all of us."

"But I'm fine now, Sam."

"You know what? You're unbelieveable!" he said with exasperation.

She removed her hand from his, but he grasped it before she could lay it at her side.

"Do you realize how ridiculous this little act of yours is?" he asked. "You're not invincible and you know it."

She gazed at him angrily for a moment, but each second that passed by made her look soften, until she looked genuinely apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I'm just not comfortable feeling weak or having other people view me as weak."

"Is that what you think this is about?" he asked with surprise. "If anything, we see you as a tough person."

She rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Yeah, sure."

He wasn't sure why, but her attitude angered him. "Jessie, people care about you. That has nothing to do with weakness. We've all lost our share of loved ones, so the ones we do still have around us we worry about. What's so wrong with that?"

She looked guilty. "When you put it like that—I guess there's nothing really wrong with that."

"I'm glad you see that. Bobby wasn't able to sleep last night because he was so worried about you."

She sighed, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry, Sam. I guess you're right."

He took her hand and kissed it lightly. "I think I should let you rest now."

She looked at him hopefully and whispered. "Come here."

He stood up, leaning over the bed until he was only inches away from her.

"Thank you," she said, kissing his cheek lightly.

He blushed slightly as he turned and left the room, making her giggle.

Bobby walked into the room almost immediately after Sam had left, looking slightly suspicious.

"How ya feelin' kid?"

"Perfectly fine," she joked. "I think I'm gonna dance a jig later."

He rolled his eyes. "Were you always this sarcastic or did you learn your best lines from me?"

"I think I just perfected what I've learned from you," she replied with a grin.

"Ha, ha," he laughed mockingly.

"I'm sorry, Bobby," she blurted out as he sat at the end of the bed. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

"What's this about?" he asked with surprise.

She sighed. "Sam made me realize that I've been very selfish and self-centered."

"He said what?"

"He didn't say it like that, Bobby. But he made me realize that's how I've been behaving," she frowned slightly. "All these years you've tried to be here for me and all I've done is push you away. I never realized that you actually—care about me like you do. I always thought I was more of a burden. The result of a promise you didn't mean to make."

"Jessie! How could you think something like that?" he asked. "I didn't have to adopt you. I did that because I care about you, kiddo."

"I know that now," she said regretfully. "I just wish I could make things up to you."

"Listen here, kid," he said sternly. "You have nothing to make up for and I don't want to hear you mention it again."

She grinned at him teasingly. "Okay, Dad."

"If I were your dad I would have put you over my knee a long time ago, young lady," he teased back.

"I love you, too, Bobby," she said with a smile.

He smiled. "I'm gonna let you rest. I'll be back to see how you're doing later."

She smiled as she nodded her head, then laid her head back against the bed and closed her eyes.

Her head was not as painful as it had been, but the doctor was already beginning to wean her off of the more powerful painkillers so she could go home. Soon it would begin to hurt a little more but she was fine with that. She knew she had to spend at least the day in the hospital. And as long as she took it easy and cooperated, she was hoping to get out tomorrow morning. She fell asleep soon afterwards, thinking about her discussion with Sam.

Jessie spent the entire day floating in and out of consciousness. She had vague memories of doctors and nurses coming in to check on various things as well as Bobby, Sam and Dean, but it was all in a haze. She also had very unusual dreams brought on by the medications she was on, or at least she hoped they were dreams.

It wasn't until very early in the morning that she woke up with clarity, feeling like she'd finally awakened from some strange other reality. She desperately wanted to get out of bed and walk around, but she knew the nurses wouldn't be pleased about her wandering the halls at four in the morning. She didn't want to stay in her bed, so she decided to ease herself up from the bed gently and walk around the room.

Her feet were a little wobbly when she put her full weight on them, but she was able to stand up on her own. She walked around the room for a few minutes feeling fine, then walked a few more just to be sure. She intended on leaving in a few hours so she wanted to make sure she was in tip top shape so they couldn't refuse her. She didn't want to check herself out against medical advice because she wouldn't hear the end of it from Bobby.

She walked over to the window and looked out into the darkened hospital grounds. To one side she could see a parking lot that was lit very brightly, and the rest of it was the grounds made up of mainly grass, sidewalk and some gardens. She was staring out across the grounds, when she thought she spied movement in the shadows.

She stared out into the spot she thought she'd seen movement for what seemed like hours, but in reality, it was only a few minutes. She was going to turn away thinking she'd been seeing things–she'd been on medication after all–but something told her to keep watching. It was then she saw what had been walking around in the shadows.

It was him.

The Alpha werewolf.

He moved to stand near the outer radius of one of the lamps that lit the sidewalk that led to the side doors of the hospital, where patients often went to enjoy the outdoors when they were well enough, or needed a smoke. He seemed to be staring right at her, as if he'd known she would be looking out of the window at that moment. She felt a cold shiver run up her spine.

She moved away from the window, hurrying to the table beside the bed. She hurriedly opened the bottom drawer looking through her personal effects. She knew she'd been wearing her knife when she came to the hospital but it wasn't with the rest of her stuff.

She did manage to find her phone, which she took back to the window. Looking out she didn't see him any longer, which frightened her even more. She dialed Bobby's number, hoping he would be awake at this hour.

"Hello?" the weary voice on the other end said.

"Dean?"

"Jessie? What are you doing calling here this early?" he asked with surprise.

"Is Bobby awake?"

"No."

"Dean, come get me. Please?" she pleaded.

"What's going on?" he asked with concern.

"It's outside, Dean and I have no weapon. Come get me."

He had no idea how he was going to get into the hospital at this hour, but he couldn't ignore the desperation in her voice.

"Stay put," he said, ending the call abruptly.

Jessie ended the call, then headed back to the drawer with her clothes. She hastily grabbed everything out of the drawer that was hers and proceeded to get dressed into her own clothes, throwing the hospital gown onto the bed. Her panic was making it difficult for her to think clearly, which was already impared by the medication she was on.

She sat at the window to wait with her belongings in one hand, her phone in the other. She was constantly glancing back and forth from the window to the door, extremely paranoid. Every moment she waited seemed like an etenity.

What she didn't know was, that the spike in her blood pressure was becoming dangerous. And if she didn't calm down soon she could suffer a setback, or worse.

It wasn't long before Dean appeared in the doorway to her hospital room looking extremely concerned.

"Do you know how difficult it was to get in here?"

"For you? I'm sure it was easy." She was teasing him but there was no joy in her eyes.

He tried to hide his concern as he put an arm around her to lead her to the door. "Let's go."

She didn't need to be told twice. She allowed Dean to lead her quietly down the hallway, through a side door and into his car. He stopped to look around before jumping into the driver's seat.

Once she was safely in Dean's Impala, she was able to relax slightly. She raised a hand to her head, it was beginning to throb painfully, and closed her eyes. She didn't even notice when the roar of the engine and the movement of the car helped her drift off to sleep.

She didn't waken when Dean carried her from the car and into the house, placing her gently down on the livingroom couch and covered her up with a blanket. It wasn't until she woke up much later that she realized what had happened. And though her panic had dissipated, she couldn't forget how she'd felt when she'd seen the werewolf or how grateful she was towards Dean for taking her seriously enough to come get her.

By the time she did wake up, it was several hours later. She almost jumped up from the couch as soon as her eyes opened, not realizing where she was immediately. Her sudden movement caused Bobby to jump up from his chair, dropping the book he was reading onto the floor with a thud.

"You okay, kid?"

She was sitting up, staring at him blankly for a moment, then blinked her eyes a few times. "Yeah, I think so."

He shook his head. "You sure about that?"

She glanced at him confused for a moment, then laid back gently on the couch closing her eyes. "I'm still hurting, but I'm fine."

He knew she wasn't fine, and he felt like he should throttle her for scaring him to death. But he knew she hadn't done it on purpose and he hated to see her in pain. He got up from his chair and went into the kitchen, coming back a few minutes later with a hot cup of tea and some painkillers.

"Thank you, Bobby," she said with a smile as he handed the cup and pills to her.

He smiled back, pleased to see her smiling. "No need to thank me, kid. I'm just glad you're safe."

She took the pills with a small swig of tea, then set the cup on the table beside the couch, then laid her head back against it, closing her eyes. She wanted to get up, but she was planning on waiting until her head felt better.

"Be careful," Bobby said. "I gave you the good stuff."

She opened her eyes, grinning at him. "So good news is, I will feel pretty good in a few."

"But bad news is, you'll be higher than a kite," he replied.

She smiled. "With the pain I'm in now I'll gladly take high as a kite."

He smiled to humor her, then averted his eyes so he wouldn't give himself away. Jessie was never one to take anything that would make her feel unlike herself, or high. He knew she must have been in a lot of pain to actually be happy to be taking something that altered her state of mind, other than alcohol.

He kept an eye on her for awhile, but all she ended up doing was sleeping, which almost worried him more. The medication he'd given her shouldn't have made her sleepy.

When he had to leave her side, he made either Dean or Sam watch over her, but she didn't move, or waken for several hours. And when she did, it was only to use the bathroom and have a drink, then she went back to sleep. It wasn't until sometime in the early morning that she awakened feeling more alert.

"Dean," she said with surprise when she opened her eyes.

He smiled with relief. "How ya feeling?"

She stretched a bit, feeling stiff from sleeping on the couch. "I feel much better now. Where's Bobby? I thought he would've glued himself to my side."

"Yeah, he tried," he replied with a grin. "But he hadn't slept much at all in the past couple of days, so me and Sam took turns watching you."

She nodded, then her mind wandered elsewhere for a moment. "Dean," she said sounding very serious. "I want to thank you."

"For what?"

She snorted. "Are you playing modest, or just waiting to hear me say more?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe a bit from column A and a bit from column B," he replied with a grin.

She sighed exaggeratedly, rolling her eyes. "Thank you for saving my ass, _twice_," she was grinning as she replied.

"Of course. And what a fine ass it is," he said with a wink.

"Dean!" she replied with warning.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just teasing you," he replied. "I see your sense of humor hasn't improved."

She rolled her eyes mockingly, while she absentmindedly ran her fingers through her messy hair.

"But seriously, I'm glad you're okay."

There was more she wanted to say to him, but she was afraid of speaking it out loud on the off chance that Dean might take it the wrong way. She was extremely grateful to him for helping her when she needed it, but she knew he would do that for anyone who was in need. And she also knew he hadn't just done it for her, he'd done it for Bobby. She decided not to say anything more, instead she went into the kitchen to make some coffee.

Bobby had come into the kitchen as she sat down at the table with her first cup, smiling at her in relief.

"It's nice to see you up and around, kid," he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"It's definitely nice to be up and around," she answered with a smile.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "You didn't eat anything at all yesterday."

"It's okay, Bobby. I can make myself something."

He glanced at her seriously. "You're not gonna move from that seat until I've made you something to eat."

She gave him a pouty look but didn't refuse him. She knew he was completely serious about helping her. And while her pride was bruised by accepting his help. She knew he was helping her because he cared very deeply about her, and it made her feel good to feel loved again.

After she ate her breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs, toast and some cantaloupe, she took a long overdue shower.

As she looked around her room for a change of clothes, she found that someone had washed them for her. She even found her missing knife and sheath lying on the bed waiting for her. It made her smile, but at the same time it felt strange.

When she was dressed, she went downstairs into the livingroom with her laptop and sat on the couch. No one was there at that moment, but it was only moments later that Bobby walked in.

"What're you doing, Jess?" he asked suspiciously.

She returned his look with one of confusion. "What?"

"Don't tell me you're on that damn computer researching already?" She tried looking innocent. "You're still recovering from a head injury. Can't you just sit back and relax for once?"

"And do what, Bobby?" she asked with frustration. "Wait until that werewolf comes to kill us all?"

He sighed loudly, shaking his head. "Can you give me a break just this once?" he pleaded.

It was unlike her to give in to anyone, but he was worried about her and it came from a place of love.

"Fine. I'll play some online poker instead."

He seemed to want to say something more, but he didn't. He took the book he'd been reading and sat down on his favorite comfy chair and began to immerse himself in it.

Jessie was bored, but she kept her word and only played online poker. Even as Bobby popped in and out of the room, obviously researching something, she still didn't give into the temptation.

Around noon, Bobby came into the livingroom carrying a sandwich for her. She took it from him gladly, standing up to hug him in thanks. He was so surprised, he almost dropped the plate on the floor.

"What's that for?"

"Thank you, Bobby," she said with a bright smile.

He looked at her uncomfortably, placing the plate on the table then began walking away. "I, uh, have to make a few phone calls," he replied as he left the room.

After she finished her sandwich, she laid her head back and closed her eyes to rest. Although her head wasn't hurting she did feel a little run down. She was almost asleep when she heard someone walk into the room noisily. She opened her eyes to find Sam standing in the doorway looking in her direction.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

He walked into the livingroom and sat down in Bobby's chair, waiting for her to answer.

"I'm a little tired but good."

"That's good," he said, shifting awkwardly in his seat.

"Is there something you want to say, Sam?"

"I, uh, I'm just glad you're okay, Jessie," he replied. "We were all going crazy with worry."

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Sam."

He sat in Bobby's chair for a few more moments, before excusing himself awkwardly. She smiled in amusement as he did so.

After he was gone, she laid back and rested for a short time. She was awake during much of the time, but she did doze off a few times. And while she was slightly awake, she swore she could hear Bobby talking to the Winchesters about the werewolf, but she couldn't be too sure. She desperately wanted to know more.

She waited until Bobby was busy in the kitchen, then she went outside in search of Dean. He was standing outside by the trunk of his car when she found him.

"What're you doing out here?" he asked her as he lifted his head out of the trunk.

"Why? Am I a prisoner?" she asked sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes. "You know exactly what I mean."

"I'm fine," she replied dismissively. "I'm here to talk to you."

"Oh, no," he said knowingly. "We're not having this discussion."

"I haven't even said anything, so how do you know what I'm gonna ask?"

He laughed ironically. "Because I know what I would be asking if I was in your position."

"And what's that?" she asked with irritation.

"You wanna know what we've found out about this werewolf."

He was smiling at her with amusement as she looked at him with defeat.

"We haven't found anything, Jessie," he said regretfully. "But Bobby thinks he has a lead on how to kill this thing."

"Well at least that's something."

He sighed then walked close to her, placing a supportive hand on her back. "Why don't you go back in the house before Bobby has a fit? We can talk about this tomorrow."

She knew he wasn't going to say anything more, so she went back into the house to see if Bobby would allow her to assist him with supper.

"I don't need any help," he said as he pulled a large roasted chicken from the oven.

"Yeah, well, that's too bad," she replied defiantly. "I'm gonna make that salad I planned on making the other day."

He gazed at her with determination for a moment, then gave in. "Fine, but we're out of strawberries."

She glanced at him sadly, then shook her head. "I should've known."

As if on cue, Sam came walking into the kitchen carrying a pint of fresh strawberries. Her eyes lit up as she took them from him.

"How did you know?" she asked excitedly.

"Bobby knew you'd want them," he said with a smile. "He said that's all you talk about during strawberry season."

She glanced at Bobby with a raised eyebrow. "Is there anything you don't know about me, old man?"

"I'm sure there's tons I don't know about you, kid," he said smiling.

She returned her smile, then set the strawberries on the counter and began rummaging through the fridge and cupboards.

She pulled out a large bowl, then placed some mixed spring greens and cut up lettuce into the bowl. She cut up half of a red salad onion into long strips, throwing them in the bowl with the greens. She then cut a few seedless grapes in half, drained a small can of mandarin oranges and placed them in the bowl. Then she cleaned, hulled and sliced half the pint of strawberries, placing them in the bowl.

Once she was sure supper was ready, she tossed the salad with some raspberry balsamic vinagrette, set the bowl on the table and sat down in 'her' chair.

She noticed Dean glancing almost uneasily at the bowl, making her grin.

"You afraid of salad, Dean?" she teased.

"Is that what that is?" he teased back.

She rolled her eyes, refusing to give in to his taunting. Bobby had given him an admonishment, which was good enough for her.

There was idle chatter while they ate, but no one spoke of anything more serious than the weather.

Jessie was hungry, but she mainly nibbled at her food. All except for the salad. That she made sure she finished. It was one of her favorite salads to eat, and she only made it during strawberry season. She didn't like the taste of off-season strawberries shipped from far away.

After supper, Bobby allowed Jessie to clean up and do the dishes, against his better judgement. He wasn't really in the mood to argue with her anymore, plus he knew if he tried too hard to keep her from doing anything, the harder she would push back. That concerned him more than anything.

She was cleaning up the counters when Sam appeared behind her, looking over her shoulder.

"Do you need help with anything?"

She turned around halfway, looking at him with slight disbelief. "You wait until I'm finished with the dishes to ask if I need help?"

He looked apologetic. "I would have asked sooner but I was helping Bobby with something."

"Oh," she said feeling foolish. "You could always wipe the table for me," she said, picking up a damp cloth.

He took the cloth from her and began wiping the table.

She was going to finish wiping down the counters, but she couldn't take her eyes off Sam while he was bent over the table cleaning it. Although she made sure to stop watching him before he noticed.

When he was done with the table, he came over to the counters and helped her wipe them down. The silence between them was awkward, but neither seemed able to say what was on their mind.

"That salad was awesome by the way," Sam commented as he finished wiping the counter.

She took the cloth from his hand and hung it under the sink. "I thought you might like that," she said as she stood back up.

"It was a nice change for sure."

She smiled. "I know what you mean. It's the one thing I hate about living on the road. Not being able to cook for myself."

He laid his hand casually on hers, which was still lying on the counter. "I'm sorry for not being there for you."

She wasn't sure, but she thought he sounded guilty. "Sam, it's not a contest. Just because you weren't the one who took me to the hospital, or brought me home from it, doesn't mean anything."

He moved his hand from hers looking awkwardly. "I didn't mean to make it sound like that."

"You can make it up to me, if you want," she said smiling slyly.

As much as she hated to play this game with Sam—or any man—she knew he had the answer to something she needed. Something she knew Bobby was unwilling to tell her the answer to at the moment.

"What's that?" he asked with a smile, completely oblivious to her motives.

"I wanna know what Bobby found to kill the Alpha."

He shifted his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "I don't think I can tell you that, Jessie."

She was frustrated and irritated, but she did her best not to show her disappointment in her eyes. "I understand."

He opened his mouth to explain himself, but she cut over him.

"You don't need to explain, Sam. Really. I understand."

"I'm sorry, but Bobby will have my head if I say something," he said lightly, hoping to lighten the mood.

She had turned her head to look out the window into the darkened yard, when she thought she saw something, the Alpha. Her heart began beating rapidly, but all Sam noticed was her face was flushed.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly.

"I thought I...saw, something outside."

"Wait here," he said, before running out of the kitchen.

When he returned, both Bobby and Dean were with him, weapons in hand.

"Where did you see him?" Bobby asked.

She pointed out the window, yelling, "be careful," as they ran out the door.

She was frightened for them, but it didn't keep her from thinking straight in her panic. She went into the livingroom, looking for Sam's laptop, which was lying open on a table. She scooped it up, sitting on the couch then began looking through his browser history.

She knew Sam was smart, but when it came to computers she was smarter. She found what she was looking for quickly, then put the computer back to it's original state with no trace she'd ever touched it. She even placed it carefully back onto the table in the exact position it had been in, before going back into the kitchen to wait for them.

**A/N: It seems that Alpha is everywhere, doesn't it? What do you think it's up to? And what about Sam and Jessie? Do you think he finally got through to her in the hospital?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Jessie was worried as she sat in the kitchen waiting for Bobby and the Winchesters to come back inside. She was afraid that she would lose one–or all of them–if what she'd seen really was the Alpha werewolf.

They weren't outside as long as she'd expected them, but she was relieved when they were safely inside.

"If he was there, we missed him," Bobby explained to her.

She nodded her head, then told him she was going to bed. He looked at her suspiciously, but didn't say anything else.

She was tired, and now that she had an answer to the question of how to kill the monster that had decimated her family, she wanted to be rested up so she could find him and kill him–permanently.

She managed to fall asleep quickly, despite everything that had been running through her mind when she'd laid her head down on her pillow.

The next morning, she woke up feeling well rested and surprisingly clear headed, even before her first cup of coffee. She hoped it was a sign of good things to come.

She heard Bobby speaking to Sam and Dean as she quietly crept down the stairs. He had mentioned that tonight was exactly a week before the full moon. She knew that meant there might be other werewolves out and about tonight—and for the next six nights—leading up to the full moon, if he'd created more.

She cleared her throat loudly as she neared the bottom of the stairs, so no one suspected she'd been spying on their conversation. And just as she'd thought, they seemed to stop talking abruptly, an uneasy silence in it's wake.

She smiled brightly. "Good morning," she said to no one in particular.

"Good morning," they replied in unison.

She glanced at them suspiciously before going into the kitchen. She was looking through the cupboards when Bobby walked in behind her.

"What're you doing?" he asked.

She turned around to face him, glancing at him sarcastically. "Making breakfast."

"I can—"

"I'm perfectly fine today, Bobby," she interrupted. "Besides, I'm only making oatmeal. I think I can handle it."

He seemed like he was sizing her up, maybe to see if she was lying about being fine, but if he suspected something, he never said anything.

"I would love some oatmeal."

She gazed at him teasingly. "You know I'm making my own, not using some packaged mix, right?"

"That's why I want some," he replied with a wink.

She turned her attention back to the cupboards, pulling out everything she needed then began making the oatmeal. Bobby had left the kitchen by this time, leaving her alone to cook.

When she was done, there were two pots of oatmeal on the stove. One was made with brown sugar and maple syrup and the other was filled with a mixture of dried berries and some fresh strawberries that hadn't been eaten the night before.

She set a bowl of the maple and brown sugar oatmeal in Bobby's seat, before calling him in. The brothers followed him, nosing in the pots.

She wasn't surprised when Dean turned his nose up at the pot with fruit in it, taking the same as Bobby was eating. She also wasn't surprised when Sam took the one with the fruit, just as she did.

The room was quiet as the four of them sat with their bowls of oatmeal and cups of coffee. Jessie felt like there was tension in the room, but she was unsure what it was about. She could only imagine it had something to do with a plan she wasn't included in.

She cleaned the table up and did the dishes after everyone had eaten, but not because she wanted to be helpful this time, it was so they didn't suspect she knew something was going on.

Afte she'd cleaned up, she got ready to leave the house, but before she was able to walk out the door, Bobby walked up behind her.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?"

She turned, glancing at him with irritation. "I have to run into town for something."

"I don't want you going alone."

"I'll be fine, Bobby."

"You know what happened the last time, right?"

She sighed angrily. "You can't expect me to have a chaperone the rest of my life Bobby. I've survived this long without one."

He narrowed his eyes, seeming to ponder something. "Turn on the GPS on your phone."

"No," she replied defiantly.

"Jessie," he said sternly. "You just survived a head injury. You barely escaped the Alpha with your life. Why won't you do this?"

She was about to yell at him, tell him to mind his own business like a spoiled child. But the concern in his eyes kept her from saying anything to that effect. Instead, she held her anger in check, which was much more difficult when Dean and Sam walked into the room behind him.

"I'm gonna be honest with you, Bobby," she began tenatively. "If I turn the GPS on, I'll just turn it off after I leave. And while Sam is smart and resourceful. He won't be able to track me down by other methods either."

"So you're saying you don't want me to know where you're going, is that it?"

"Actually, yeah," she said, crossing her arms angrily. "I know you're worried about me, but I'm used to having my freedom."

"Fine. I give up," he replied, keeping a straight face. "When can I expect you to be back?"

"A couple of hours," she replied, glacing at Dean and Sam.

They returned her gaze with questioningly looks.

"I'll call you," she said as she turned on her heel and walked out the door.

She ran to her car, started it and took off before she'd even put her seatbelt on, which was something she rarely did. She hated to be so indifferent towards Bobby, but he could never understand what finding this werewolf means to her. She had to be the one to kill him. It was the only way she could make him pay for what he'd done to her family, and to herself.

She drove well past town for almost an hour, until she reached a church at the edge of a small town. After parking her car in the empty lot, she walked in the front door, then proceeded to walk into the main part of the church, sitting down on the front pew.

She only had to wait a couple of minutes for the pastor to realize she was there. He looked at her curiously as he approached her and sat down.

"What is it you need, my child?" he asked quietly.

She glanced at him stoically for a moment before smiling. "I think we can skip the formalities, don't you, _father_?"

He returned her smile, laughing lightly. "Of course. We've known each other too long for that."

"Yes, we have," she replied.

They stood up, hugged each other, then sat back down again.

"How have you been, Jessie?" he asked. "It's been awhile."

"I've been better."

He studied her for a moment, folding his hands in his lap. "Would you like to talk about it?"

She laughed lightly. "I'm not here for confession."

"Hmmm," he said with a smirk. "I bet there's a man involved."

Her mouth flew open widely in shock. "You're still trying to marry me off, aren't you?"

He smiled supportively. "No, but you can't blame me for hoping you would find someone to make you happy."

Her mind fluttered to Sam for a moment making her smile slightly, before she realized she'd done it.

"Ah, so there is a man you might be interested in?"

"You are way too observant."

"All part of the job," he replied. "Now why don't you tell me why you're here?"

She sighed, glancing at him reluctantly. "I need a favor."

"I see. So this has something to do with a creature of some sort I'd imagine?"

"Yeah."

"Whatever it is, all you need to do is ask."

She hesitated, before pulling a silver dagger from the inside of her jacket. "This is a pure silver dagger," she said handing it to him. "I need you to bless it."

He looked over the knife, turning it in his hand. "Of course."

"But, it needs to be blessed...with your blood," she said quickly.

"Oh, I see."

She watched as he cut his finger, making it bleed enough to bless the knife. He handed it back to her when he was finished, then squeezed the finger with his other hand.

"I hope that works for you, Jessie."

"I can't thank you enough," she said standing up.

"Just be safe," he said, shaking her hand with both of his. "I'll say a prayer for you."

"Thank you," she said, pausing a minute before turning around to leave.

She waited until he couldn't see her before rolling her eyes. She didn't really want him to say a prayer for her. She knew the angels didn't give a damn whether she lived or died. Even before she knew what real angels could be like, she didn't believe in prayer, regardless of going to church every Sunday with her grandparents.

She switched the knife in her ankle sheath, for the newly blessed one, placing her favorite knife in a sheath she kept under the driver's side in her car, before heading back to Bobby's.

As Jessie was pulling up to his house, she suddenly had a feeling of dread. She wasn't exactly sure why, but her intuition was hardly ever wrong.

She practically ran into the house, where she found Bobby staring at her in shock.

"How come you're back so soon?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she said with confusion. "I told you I wouldn't be long."

He gazed at her as if she'd spoken another language for a moment. "But you sent Dean and Sam a text message not long ago."

"What're you talking about? I didn't send anyone a text."

He looked at her horrified. "If you didn't send it, who did?"

"My phone is right here," she said pulling it out of her pocket.

"It wasn't that number. It was your alternate phone."

She stared at him is if she hadn't comprehended what he'd said, then ran outside without a word. She wrenched open the passenger side door of her car, then began rummaging through her glove compartment. When she didn't find her spare phone, she ran back into the house.

"My spare phone is missing, Bobby."

"Dammit!"

He grabbed his phone, trying to call both Dean and Sam, but neither answered any of their several phones.

Jessie had grabbed her laptop, trying to track them. It didn't take long for her to find where they were, but she didn't tell Bobby. She didn't want him to insist on going with her.

"Bobby, I'm gonna track them from the road," she said as she closed her laptop and tucked it under her arm.

"Oh no you're not," he said. "Not by yourself."

"We don't have time to argue about this, Bobby. I'll call you when I know something."

He watched her run out of the house, unable to speak quick enough.

Jessie jumped in the car, threw her laptop on the passenger seat and took off, heading in the direction her computer told her the Winchesters were. It was well over a two hour drive, even driving at a high rate of speed.

When she pulled up to the spot her computer indicated, she was in a parking lot of a large warehouse, but she didn't see the Impala anywhere. She drove around the entire building once, before pulling up to the back of the warehouse, where one of the large bay doors was open. It was almost completely dark outside so she couldn't see anything from inside the car.

She had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as she climbed out of the driver's seat, but she pushed it out of her mind. She retrieved her hand gun from the car, tucking it in the waist of her pants, then grabbed a flashlight. She knew if she found the Alpha she wouldn't be able to kill him with the gun, silver bullets or no sillver bullets, but she would be able to hurt him. That's all she needed to do to be able to get close to him to use the knife.

The Impala being strangely absent was what frightened her the most about the situation as she approached the bay door. She stood listening, before peeking her head around the corner of the door, looking into the building.

From what she could see, it was pitch dark inside the building, no sounds or light. She turned her flashlight on, holding onto it with one hand, her gun in the other, and began slowly walking through the large door, stopping about ten feet in to allow her eyes to adjust slightly.

The part of the warehouse she was standing in appeared to be the place where the deliveries were made. There were pallets full of boxes stacked twelve feet high and in orderly rows, and a couple of forklift trucks parked nearby.

She walked past the rows of pallets slowly, quietly, her flashlight the only light in the increasing darkness. Once in awhile she would glimpse the nearly full moon shining in through one of the warehouse windows, but it wasn't nearly bright enough to make much of a difference.

As she approached the end of the pallets, all she could see was darkness. She shone her flashlight into the deep void, but she couldn't see an end to it. She took a couple of tenative steps into the open space, then stopped to listen.

She didn't hear anything, so she took a few more steps forward, then turned to go back the way she'd came in. She'd only taken two steps when she heard a strange sound. It sounded like a dog's claws on the sidewalk. She only had enough time to take a deep breath and cock her gun, before everything went black.

Jessie opened her eyes slowly, hesitantly, as she lay face down on the cold, hard surface of the cement floor. Her eyesight was a little blurry, but she couldn't be mistaken by what she saw standing in front of her, the Alpha werewolf.

He was standing about fifteen feet away, under the only source of light—one single lightbulb from above—staring at her with a sick, perverse look of amusement. It was almost surreal as the light only illuminated a small area, making it seem like the darkness around could envelop them at any moment.

She struggled to get into a sitting position, all while the werewolf watched her with his piercing glare. Once she was up, she realized her gun was lying at his feet. She couldn't feel the knife in her sheath, but she could only hope it was still there.

"It's nice to see you're finally awake," the werewolf taunted with a sharp toothed grin.

"Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?" she yelled shaking with fear and rage.

He laughed malevolently. "You've been a thorn in my side for far too long to let you off that easily."

Someone walked out of the darkness, appearing behind him, whispering in his ear. At first she thought it was just a man, but as he glanced towards her, she noticed his crazed eyes and jagged teeth. He was a werewolf.

"And let the fun begin," the Alpha said with a note of enjoyment.

She felt a shiver of fear run through her as she heard some moaning and shuffling in the darkness. Almost as if by magic, two additional werewolves appeared out of the darkness, carrying two limp bodies with them, which they discarded carelessly on the ground on each side of the Alpha.

"Sam! Dean!" she cried with fear. "What have you done to them?"

"They're fine, I assure you," he replied, nudging each of them with his foot. Each of them moaned, moving slightly.

"What do you want with them?" she asked angrily.

"To watch your final moments," he replied coldly. "But first, they need to wake up."

He bent down, touching his hand to both Dean and Sam's arm. Almost immediately, their eyes fluttered open. Before either of them could get to their feet on their own, a werewolf grabbed each of them, holding their hands behind their backs, and putting their teeth near the back of their shoulder.

"What the hell?" Dean yelled.

Sam grunted in pain, glancing at Jessie with sorrow.

"This is between you and me you bastard!" she yelled as she tried to stand up.

She tripped as the werewolf standing behind her knocked her legs out from under her.

"I thought you wanted this, Jessie," his steely glance remaining cold. "You want answers, don't you?"

"Answers about what?" she asked with confusion.

"I know you've been wondering why I killed your family. It's eaten you up inside over the years," he laughed coldly. "I've enjoyed watching you cause pain to yourself all this time. If you hadn't decided to get close to people again, I might have allowed you to live longer."

She was shocked by his admission, but her mind was in overdrive, allowing her to get past her shock quickly.

"How do you know I wouldn't have found you first?"

He laughed in amusement. "You've only ever found me because I wanted to be found."

She gazed at him with confusion. "I don't believe you."

"Oh yes," he said laughing coldly again. "I let you think you killed me because it served my purpose. It allowed you to let your guard down, begin to get close to people again." He stopped and laughed.

"How sad and lonely you were with only a crusty old man as a father figure," he continued to taunt. "But then you met the Winchesters." He stopped again to sneer, glancing at the brothers quickly. "And now I can take my revenge on all of you at the same time."

"Why would you want revenge on them? They never did anything to you before they met me."

He laughed coldly. "Perhaps not. But this is where the sins of the father fall to the sons."

Dean and Sam glanced at each other confused.

"Didn't she tell you?" he asked, glancing at Dean. "Your father took her away from me the night I came to kill her family. It would have ended with her that night if not for his interference."

"I thought he killed you?" Dean asked with confusion as he glanced at Jessie.

He laughed again with amusement. "But as you know, it's not that easy to kill me."

"Why did you kill my sister?" she interrupted.

He turned to gaze at her coldly, grinning in perverse amusement. "That was your fault. Don't you remember?"

"How was it my fault? I was only ten," she asked defensively.

He narrowed his eyes, still grinning. "Your parents may have led a normal life, but they never gave up hunting, did they?"

"They did until you killed my sister!" she yelled angrily.

"No, they didn't. If they had, don't you think they would have gotten rid of all their research, books, journals and such?" he laughed. "Instead of leaving them hidden somewhere for their children to find."

She averted her eyes guiltily.

"Oh yes. You remember now, don't you? You remember when you were nine and you found all of their books about hunting creatures, right? Do you remember how your sister asked you to keep it a secret from your parents? Do you remember how she became obsessed with the books? Or how she stopped fighting with your parents about learning how to shoot a gun and taking self defence?"

"Shut up!" she screamed. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

"My, my, we sure are testy."

"It's not my fault!"

"Oh, but it is, Jessie. She began to hunt creatures all on her own. All because of you." He stopped and laughed. "She found me quite by accident. It was quite funny actually."

"Shut up!" she screamed, shaking in anger.

"Not until I tell you what really happened," he replied with a grin. "You do want to know what really happened to your sister, don't you?"

"You killed her!"

"No, I'm sorry, but I didn't. That's just what your parents told your grandparents. I guess they couldn't tell them the truth."

"Lies! They're all lies!" she screamed, trying to stand up.

The werewolf behind her kicked her leg out from under her again, sending her sprawling backwards, smacking her head off of the floor.

The Alpha laughed with pleasure. "You should be more careful. Didn't you just get over a head injury?"

"Leave her alone!" Sam yelled angrily.

He turned to Sam, grinning maliciously. "How chivalrous you are, Sam. It's all very sweet and innocent, isn't it? Though it didn't look all that sweet and innocent between the two of you the other night."

Dean glanced at his brother with a raised eyebrow.

"As fun as this is, why don't I get back to my story," he said coldly. "I didn't kill your sister, Jessie. I turned her into a werewolf."

"What?"

"Oh yes. She was too young and beautiful for me to kill. So I turned her and sent her back home."

"No! You lie!"

"Your parents couldn't kill her, so they began looking for help with a cure. That's when they turned to John Winchester," he laughed with amusement. "But as you well know, there is no cure. So the next month when she turned, they tried to keep her confined. Too bad for them it didn't work."

Tears were beginning to form in Jessie's eyes. "They killed her?"

He laughed loudly, grinning widely with pleasure. "They knew they should, but they couldn't do it. That's why they asked for John's help."

"You mean..." her voice trailed off as she glanced at the brothers sadly.

"John Winchester killed your sister, Jessie. He killed Miranda."

The tears she'd been holding back began to fall down her face faster than she could wipe away.

"Now everything has come full circle. And that's how it's going to end," he said grinning malevolently. "I'm gonna turn you, and then the Winchesters are gonna have to hunt you down."

"No way in hell!" Dean yelled.

"You can't do that!" Sam yelled.

The werewolf behind Jessie grabbed her roughly pulling her up from the ground, holding her hands behind her back. She was fighting to get away, but the werewolf only gripped her harder, his claws digging deeply into her arms, causing her to scream in pain. He began to push her towards the Alpha, all while she fought against him.

As she became nearer to him, she couldn't help but stare defiantly into the alpha's cold, unfeeling eyes. She couldn't allow him to see how afraid she was. And she wouldn't scream. She wouldn't let him have the satisfaction.

She glanced over at Sam, looking apologetic. He seemed to return her look with anger, which surprised her. She wasn't sure why he would be angry with her.

She was only a few feet away from the Alpha, when a gunshot rang out of the darkness. Then suddenly the werewolf behind her began to release his grip on her, falling backwards.

Jessie was surprised, but she didn't allow herself a moment to think, or hesitate. She moved to the side, just as the Alpha reached out to grab her. He managed to rake his claws across her left arm as she moved away from him. It hurt like hell but she didn't scream.

At the corner of her eye she noticed both Dean and Sam had taken advantage of the werewolves holding them. Then two more gunshots rang out from the darkness and the two werewolves that had held the brothers, dropped with a thud to the ground.

Once the brothers were loose, it was easier for Jessie to think, not worrying about them any longer. She stared down the Alpha defiantly, daring him to attack.

The Alpha grinned, flashing his sharp teeth at her, then began to walk towards her slowly, deliberately. When he was within arms reach, he swung his arm out, but she dodged the blow easily.

"I'm gonna be the one to kill you," she taunted.

He swung at her again, one arm after the other, but she blocked and dodged each of them, taking a step backwards as she did so. But she could only dodge and block so many, before she became tired and he finally made contact with her, sending her flying a few feet backwards, landing on her side.

She tried to get to her feet quickly, but she only managed to sit up when the Alpha caught up to her, grasping her by her hair. She looked up at him involuntarily as he pulled her hair harder and harder. But when the pain became too much, she was going to stand up, then suddenly there was a gunshot, hitting the Alpha in the chest. The wound didn't kill him, but it distracted him long enough for Jessie to reach down to her ankle, unsheath the knife she'd had blessed especially for this purpose and plunged it straight into his heart.

The Alpha stumbled as the knife pierced his heart, the taunting grin he'd been wearing had disappeared, replaced by a look of shock and surprise, then he fell backwards on to the ground, unmoving. Dead.

Jessie let out a sigh of relief, then fell to her knees. She was sore and tired, but glad it was finally over. She would never have to worry about the Alpha ever again. But the things he'd told her, they were still very fresh and vivid in her mind. It didn't feel so much like a victory to her.

She was too involved in her thoughts to notice someone was behind her, until they placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head quickly, ready for an attack. But instead, she looked up into the concerned eyes of Bobby.

"You okay, kid?" he asked quietly. "You had me worried."

She pulled herself up to her feet with the help of Bobby, then threw her arms around him tightly. She had never needed him more than she needed him now.

"Hey, now," he said quietly, after holding her for a short time. "Why don't we get the hell outta here?"

She pulled away from his embrace and nodded her head.

"Where are your keys?"

"Huh?" she said uncomprehendingly.

"I don't want you driving right now. Sam can drive your car back."

She pulled the keys from her pocket absentmindedly, handing them to him.

"Stay here," he said gently, as he walked towards Sam and Dean.

When he walked back to her, he was carrying the gun she'd lost earlier. "Here," he said as he handed it to her.

She took it in her hand, which fell limply to her side.

Bobby glanced back at the brothers for a moment with concern, then gently led her to his car.

**A/N: Well, Jessie managed to get her revenge, but what did it cost her? What do you think she's going to do after she deals with everything? Or will she just go on like nothing is wrong?**

**Thanks for reading!**

**And Happy New Year!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The trip back to Bobby's house was completely quiet. Jessie had given into her despair—and exhaustion—lying her head against the passenger side door, allowing the humming sound and vibration of the tires on the road lull her to sleep.

When they arrived at his house, Bobby had to wake her up, helping her into the house. He sat her at the kitchen table while he cleansed the wounds on her arms with alcohol. Once he was sure they were clean, he wrapped them in bandages.

"I'm so sorry, Jessie," he said as he sat at the table next to her.

She looked at him confused for a moment. "Why are you sorry?"

"I'm sorry for not knowing what to say or do to make you feel better," he replied looking apologetic.

"Oh, Bobby," she replied with a tiny grin. "You're just so adorable."

"You must be feeling better if you're in the mood to tease."

"Did you—"

Dean and Sam walked into the house, cutting her question short.

"How's my car?" she asked Sam seriously.

"It's fine," he replied quickly, throwing her keys onto the table.

She turned her attention back to Bobby, bluntly asking the question she'd been interrupted from asking. "Did you know John was the one who killed my sister?"

His eyes flew wide in shock by the bluntness of her question. "No, Jess. He never told me and neither did your parents."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, then shrugged her shoulders. "I'm going to bed." She stood up immediately, leaving the room without another word.

She practically fell into her bed as she got into her room. She didn't even bother to undress, just climbed under the sheets and fell asleep almost instantly.

When she awoke in the middle of the night, she wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, because she had no idea when she'd went to bed. It was still pitch dark, so she glanced at the clock on the side table, which told her it was shortly after two.

She grunted in pain as she used her sore arms to lift herself into a sitting position, then swung her legs over the bed. She would have stayed in bed, but she realized she was both hungry and thirsty, since she'd missed dinner that evening. It wasn't like she'd never missed a meal, she knew she could survive without eating until the morning, but she was extremely thirsty. She couldn't ignore it if she'd wanted to.

She stepped lightly onto the floor trying to keep as quiet as possible, until she was safely in the kitchen. Then she opened the fridge looking for something to drink. She thought about grabbing a beer for a moment, but decided it would be a bad idea. Instead she grabbed a cola and sat down at the kitchen table.

As much as she didn't want to, her mind kept mulling over the information she'd learned only hours before. She wasn't even sure how she felt about everything she'd learned, she was feeling pretty numb. Besides knowing it was partially her fault her sister had been killed—which she felt extremely guilty about— she was unsure what she should do next. She had always promised herself she would stop hunting when she'd killed the werewolf that killed her family. But now that so much time had passed, she wasn't sure she wanted to do anything else, or was even capable of doing something else.

She was half done her cola, when Dean walked into the kitchen, startled.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were here," he said quietly. "I just came to get a drink."

"Me too," she said lifting the can in her hand.

He went into the fridge and pulled out a beer. "I'll leave you alone now."

"You don't have to do that, Dean. Why don't you sit with me for a bit?"

He looked at her questioningly. "Uh, ok," he replied, sitting on the chair beside her.

There was an awkward moment of silence, before Dean spoke.

"I didn't think you'd want company."

She gazed at him with surprise. "Why would you think that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I just thought that, uh, I don't know, that maybe you would want to be alone."

"I did at first, but maybe now I'm hoping someone would share in my misery."

He said the first thing that popped into his head, which he realized after he'd spoken that it was probably the wrong thing to say. "We tried that once. It didn't work out too well."

She kept a stoic look for a moment, then laughed lightly. "Ain't that the truth."

"Was there something specifically you wanted to talk about?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Well, no, not really," she said uncomfortably. "I just wanted you to know I don't blame your father for what happened to my sister. In case you thought that I did."

"Honestly, I didn't think you did," he said supportively. "I thought you might be blaming yourself."

She looked uncomfortable for a moment. "I'm not gonna lie to you and say I don't, because I do. But I know it's wrong to feel that way."

"Well, it's not your fault, Jessie. Not in the least."

"Thanks, Dean," she said with the slightest hint of a smile.

He took a few swigs of his beer, before looking at her curiously. "I do have something I wanted to ask you about."

She looked at him curiously, before she realized what it might be about. "Uh, ok," she replied apprehensively.

"What was the Alpha referring to when he mentioned things didn't look sweet an innocent between you and Sam?"

She swallowed hard. "Did you ask Sam about it?"

He smirked. "Actually I did."

"And what did he say?"

He looked at her with a strange smile on his face. "He told me to ask you."

She wasn't sure if she believed him, but either way, she thought it would be better if she was the one who told him.

"I kissed him. Do you have a problem with that?" she asked defensively.

He sat pensively for a few moments, then released a long sigh. "No, I don't. If anything, I think I'm actually happy about it."

"What?" she asked with disbelief. "A few days ago you warned me not to hurt him. Why the turnabout?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "You did."

"How?"

"You're the kind of woman Sam needs in his life. You're smart, level headed, you can put him in his place and...you can cook."

She laughed. "You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"

"Ok, so the cooking thing is for me," he said and laughed. "But seriously, Jessie. I haven't seen Sam smile so much in a long time. He's been through a lot."

"And what about you?" she asked. "Don't you think you deserve someone as well?"

He laughed again. "Definitely not you, Jessie. No offense, but I think we'd seriously kill each other."

She laughed as well. "I didn't mean me, Dean. I know we're alike in a lot of ways, but I'm pretty sure you're right." She laid her hand on top of his, which was on the table. "You deserve to be happy too. You believe that, don't you?"

He shrugged his shoulders, pulling his hand from hers. "Maybe once Sam is happy I can think about it."

"I hope so, Dean. It's a lonely world."

There was silence for a minute while each of them sat pensively, drinking their drinks.

"Do you love him?" Dean blurted out of the blue.

His sudden questioning almost caused her to almost spit her pop out. "What kind of question is that?"

He looked at her regretfully. "Look, I'm sorry about before. But if you're being honest about not coming between us, then I'm fine if you and Sam want to...be together."

"Of course I would never do that, Dean," she said with a smile, before looking serious again. "But if you want me to be honest, I don't think anyone could ever come between the two of you. If demons, angels and whatever else couldn't do it, how could a woman?"

"Maybe you're right," he said, drinking the last of his beer. "Are you staying up for awhile?"

"Why?"

"Why does every question have to breed another question with you?"

She rolled her eyes with frustration. "Fine. Yes, I am."

He stood up from the table, put his empty bottle away and left without another word.

Once she was sure he was gone, she placed a hand to her head and closed her eyes. She wanted to be able to think about Sam, at the moment he seemed like the easiest situation to deal with, but she was unable to. It was difficult for her to be honest with herself, but she was feeling like her whole world had come crashing down around her all at once. She desperately wanted to believe the Alpha had been lying to her about everything, but she knew deep down he wasn't.

She was lost in thought when Sam walked into the kitchen, startling her.

"I'm sorry, Jessie," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"No, it's okay, Sam," she replied. "Let me guess, you can't sleep either?"

"Something like that."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Please don't tell me your brother woke you up?"

He turned to walk to the fridge avoiding her question. When he'd grabbed a cola, he walked back to sit beside her at the table.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked with concern. "I know you hit your head against the floor pretty hard last night."

She'd had a dull headache since, but she hadn't told anyone. It felt fine.

"All's good."

He glanced at her with concern. "And your arms?"

"They're fine," she replied dismissively. "What about you, Sam?"

"Why wouldn't I be fine?"

She snorted. "You mean you and Dean were only pretending to be unconcious?"

"Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure."

She snorted lightly, mumbling something about men under her breath.

He reached out taking her hand in his. "Is it okay if I'm worried about you?"

"Is this about my physical health or my mental health?"

He chuckled once in disbelief. "Which one let's me keep my fingers?"

She smiled. "Physically, I'm pretty sure I'm fine. Mentally, well that's another story."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked with a supportive smile.

"That all depends on you, Sam. I'm feeling rather needy tonight. Do you think you can handle it?"

He studied her for a few moments, then stood up, pulling her to stand as well. "I know what you need."

She eyed him warily, but allowed him to drag her into the livingroom. He sat down on one side of the couch, then pulled her down beside him. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. She nestled her head against him then closed her eyes.

"Is this better?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied quietly.

She began to discuss her feelings about her sister and her family with him, which she found easier in this position. She didn't have to stare directly into his eyes, it was easier to hide some of her guilt this way. Although she was positive he could pick up on the guilt, whether he could see her eyes or not. He always seemed to be so intuitive.

It had slipped her mind the moment it happened, but as she relived the moments of earlier, she remembered when Sam had looked at her as if he was angry.

"I have a question for you, Sam?" she asked,

"What's that?" he asked with surprise.

"Why were you angry with me earlier? When the Alpha was about to turn me."

"Oh, that," he replied hesitantly. "It was because of your look, Jessie. You were apologizing to me as if it was your fault that I was there. It looked like you'd given up. I guess my look was much harsher than I'd planned."

She lifted her head up, turning to face him. "I was apologizing because I thought you'd have to hunt me down and kill me. I know what that would have done to you."

He lifted his free hand and brushed the side of her face gently with his fingertips. "We don't have to worry about that ever again."

The feel of his fingertips lightly brushing her cheek caused her to close her eyes, her breathing becoming much deeper. He leaned closer, placing his lips gently against hers. He waited until her lips parted, before kissing her gently.

She kissed Sam gently, almost carefully, doing her best not to get lost in the moment. She pulled back after a minute, gazing deep into his eyes.

"You agreed to take things slowly."

He smiled. "Not sure I can kiss any slower."

She returned his smile, then pulled away slightly. She was going to lay her head against his shoulder again, but instead he eased her down so her head was on his lap, lying his hand on her back. She stretched her legs out on the couch and closed her eyes. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep, was Sam running his fingers gently through her hair.

When Jessie began to wake up, her subconcious had somehow remembered exactly where she'd been lying when she'd fallen asleep, so she managed to wake up with her eyes still closed. She kept them closed tightly, listening to hear where everyone was before she would even dare open them.

She could hear mumbled voices coming from the direction of the kitchen. Although she couldn't tell who they belonged to, they had to be Bobby and Dean, because she was still lying in Sam's lap.

Hesitantly, she decided to open her eyes, then very carefully she eased herself off of Sam and into a sitting position. She rubbed at her neck absentmindedly, while she watched Sam to see if he would awaken.

Although it looked slightly painful, she almost laughed out loud at the way Sam was sitting on the couch. It seemed that he'd fallen asleep while propping his head up with one arm, and now his head was flopped to one side, his neck bent at an unusual angle, and his mouth was hanging wide open. She imagined he'd probably drooled all over himself, but she wasn't going to study him that closely.

She stood up slowly, stretching as wide as she could to work all the kinks out of her body, wincing slightly as she overstretched her injured arms.

After she'd fully stretched, she floated quietly upstairs to grab a shower before anyone could stop to speak to her. And when she was done and in clean clothes, she decided to head to the kitchen to face the music.

"Good morning, Bobby," she said the moment she entered the kitchen.

He looked at her with surprise, smiling in a teasing way. "Should I be worried that you're speaking before your first cup of coffee?"

She rolled her eyes mockingly and smiled. "No, not really. I'm just trying out a new strategy."  
>He stared at her unmovingly. "How's that workin' for ya?"<p>

"Depends," she said and grinned. "Are you sufficiently distracted yet?"

He smiled, shaking his head knowingly. "Just have your coffee already."

She smiled as she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down. Bobby sat down moments later with a more serious look on his face.

"How're you feeling this morning, Jess?"

The smile she was wearing quickly left her face, replaced with an expectant look. "My arms hurt a little, but they're not too bad."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

She sighed loudly. "Why don't you just come out and ask me what you want to ask?"

He shook his head sadly. "You found out the truth about what happened to your family. Are you going to tell me it isn't bothering you at all?"

She took a sip of her coffee, then set the cup down slowly on the table, trying to keep careful control over herself.

"What do you want me to say, Bobby? That it upset me? That I'm feeling guilty? That it's eating me up inside?" she asked calmly. "Because yeah, I'm feeling all of those things plus much more. But I'm not sure what you expect me to do about it."

"Why don't you talk about it for starters?"

"With who? You?"

"No, the neighbours, Jess," he replied sarcastically. "Of course I mean me."

She drank more of her coffee, trying to think of the kindest way to say what she wanted to. She knew he meant well, but she wasn't used to being tactful or thinking about what she was going to say before she blurted it out.

"I love you, Bobby. And I know you mean well. But I'll be fine." She stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing. "I managed to survive the deaths of my entire family. I've made it this far. I'll get past this too."

He shook his head in disappointment. "And what have you done in eight years to get past everything, Jessie? You're angry, argumentative, you push people away, you drink too much. That doesn't sound like getting past it to me."

She glanced at him with shock and disbelief. "And who are you to be saying this to me, Bobby? You've been exactly the same way, and for much longer than I have."

"But that's why I want things to turn out differently for you, kid," he replied sorrowfully. "You're still young, beautiful and smart. You could do so much with your life."

"I'm a hunter, Bobby. That's who I am, that's what I am and always will be," she replied, smiling apologetically before going on. "I'm sorry if that disappoints you, but I'm not quitting now."

He stood up from the table, laying a supportive hand on her back. "It doesn't disappoint me, kiddo. I just wish you could have much more than this."

She looked up at him while fighting back tears. "My parents had more, but their lives still ended in tragedy."

"But they had years of familial bliss beforehand, Jess. I want that for you."

"Why can't I have that and hunt?"

He removed his hand, sitting down beside her again.

"Is this about Sam?" he asked in a hushed tone.

She suddenly felt like a teenager again, having to speak to her grandfather about boys. Her cheeks felt red hot. She could only hope they didn't look that way to Bobby.

"It doesn't have to be about him," she replied defensively.

"But you do have feelings for him."

The way he said it, she was unsure if it was a question or a statement.

"Are you gonna gimme a lecture if I do?" she asked, as she crossed her arms.

He raised his hand to his head in frustration for a moment. "I love those boys, Jessie, but—I don't think you want to get involved with either of them."

"Why is that?" she asked with complete sincerity. She really was curious about his insight.

He stood up, reaching his hand out to her.

She stared at him in confusion for a moment, before taking his hand. He helped her stand, then pulled her towards the door, releasing her hand before walking outside. She stopped for a moment to stare at the door, before following him outside.

She followed far behind him as he walked out into the scrapyard, stopping beside skeletons of some old cars stacked upon each other.

"Why are we out here?" she asked when she finally caught up to him.

"We need to have a very serious discussion about Sam and Dean, young lady," he replied, wagging his finger at her.

She rolled her eyes heavily, sighing loudly. "I knew this was coming sooner or later."

"You're not gonna take this seriously, are you?" he asked with frustration.

"And I imagine this is for my own good, right?" she asked defensively, placing her hands on her hips.

"Dammit, Jess! Do you know what these boys have been through? Do you have any idea the crap they've seen and done?"

"I know, Bobby. It's not like I've been living under a rock. But I'm broken too. I may not have went to hell, but I've seen and done things that could break a lesser person. Things that almost broke me." She removed her hands from her hips, then walked over to one of the car skeletons and leaned against it, her hand covering hers eyes.

He walked towards her, laying a supportive hand on her shoulder. "I know it killed you to kill your own grandfather, honey," he said gently. "But you've made it this far."

She removed her hands from her face to reveal tears filling her eyes. "I wish killing grandpa was the worst thing I'd ever done, Bobby. But it wasn't. He was a monster and it needed to be done." She stopped as she gasped for air, choking back tears. "It haunts me to this day, Bobby, but it's what needed to be done. He wouldn't have made me do it if he didn't think I could handle it."

"No, Jess," Bobby said sadly. "He never should have asked you to do what you did. He should have done it himself. Your grandfather was a great man, but that was the most stupid and selfish thing he'd ever done."

She stared at him angrily for a moment, before her look softened. "It doesn't matter, Bobby. What's done is done. He can't take it back and I can't take back the things I've done."

"Is this about your grandmother?" he asked hesitantly.

She glared at him, wiping away tears. "Let me guess, Dean told you."

He shook his head. "What does it matter who told me? The fact is, I know."

"That's not what this is about at all," she replied closing her eyes.

"Your sister?"

She shook her head in response. "You can keep guessing, but what I'm talking about no one knows about—except me."

"Don't you think it's about time to tell someone?"

She slumped against the car, sliding down until she hit the ground then pulled her knees towards herself, wrapping her arms around them.

He squatted beside her, laying his hand on her knee. "It can't be that bad, kid."

She looked at him, took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Dean and Sam are lucky, Bobby. They went to hell but they made it back. When I go, no one will be saving me, because I deserve to be there."

"You didn't make a deal, did you?" he asked with fear.

She laughed insanely. "No, but I wish I had. Then at least I could go to hell without feeling guilty."

He placed both hands on her, shaking her roughly. "What the hell did you do?"

She shook her head and spoke quietly. "You're right, Bobby. I shouldn't be with Sam," she said while standing up. "I don't deserve to be with anyone, ever."

Bobby stood up as she did, looking flabbergasted. "How could you say that? You know that's not true."

"Yes, it is," she replied sounding defeated. "I don't even deserve you, Bobby."

He reached out to her, but before he could grab a hold of her, she ran off towards the house.

"Balls!" he cursed, before walking back towards the house.

Jessie flew into the house and ran up the stairs into her bedroom, throwing herself onto the bed and began to sob quietly. She pulled the blankets over her head–and the rest of herself–hoping to feel comforted and safe, although she felt far from that at the moment.

There were things in her past that she'd never told anyone, things that even she tried to bury deep within herself. One of them had been the secret about her grandmother, which she felt better about once she'd spoken about it. But this other secret, she knew no one could ever find out. She was positive the Winchesters would never speak to her again, but she could live with that. She was more worried what Bobby would think about her. She was positive he would never look at her the same, if he would even speak to her again. She couldn't allow him to find out. He was the only person that kept her sanity safely tethered down. Without him, she was afraid of what might happen to her.

She laid in her bed for a short time after she finished crying, doing her best to push everything deep down inside her again. She couldn't bear to think about it anymore. She needed a distraction.

She glanced around her room, before her disappointment set it. She'd left her laptop downstairs. If she wanted to search for something to hunt, she was going to have to go downstairs. It was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment, but she couldn't stay upstairs forever.

She walked quietly down the stairs, heading straight into the livingroom, avoiding Bobby's eyes as she walked past the kitchen. She noticed Sam and Dean had their dufflebags with them and were talking animatedly as she walked in.

"Good timing," Sam said with a smile when he noticed her walk in the room.

She looked confused. "Huh?"

"We caught wind of a case a few states over," Dean explained. "We're just getting ready to head out now."

She glanced at Sam, who was looking rather uncomfortable.

"Did you want to come with us?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

She managed a fake smile, however it didn't reach her eyes. "No, I don't think so."

"Oh," he replied, sounding dejected. "Maybe next one?"

"I don't know, Sam," she said as she shrugged her shoulders lightly.

He looked like he was about to take a step forward, paused, then changed his mind again and approached her cautiously. When she didn't move away, he reached out and grasped her by the arms.

"We are gonna see each other again, aren't we?"

The expectational look in his eyes tugged at her deeply. "Of course, Sam."

He smiled brightly, making her smile as well.

"We can always skype, ya know," she suggested offhanded.

"Skype? What the hell is that?" Dean asked with a confused look. "Some kind of code for phone sex or something?"

Sam and Jessie began to howl with laughter, especially after Dean looked even more confused.

"I'll explain later, Dean," he replied with a grin.

"Be safe," she said while looking at Sam, then glanced at Dean. "Both of you."

"Always," Dean replied with a wink.

"You too, Jessie," Sam said looking seriously.

"I will. No worries," she replied nonchalantly.

He leaned down quickly, placing his lips on hers, surprising her. She kissed him for only a moment, before pulling away, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sam. I just, wasn't expecting you to do that," she replied, smiling weakly. She wanted to add, "_in front of your brother_," but she didn't want to call so much attention to it.

"Sam," Dean called. "The sunlight is fading. Let's go."

Sam looked at her awkwardly. "See ya," he said, then followed his brother into the kitchen.

Jessie sighed, feeling foolish and uncomfortable. She grabbed her laptop from the table beside the couch and sat down with it, trying to avoid feeling anything. She'd felt way too many emotions in the past twenty four hours and she needed it to stop. The only way for that to happen was to find something to hunt. The sooner, the better.

While Bobby still seemed to be avoiding her–he wasn't coming out of his study–she got herself a beer and continued to search for something to hunt. After a few beers, and several hours of searching, she found something that looked promising. But since it was near dinner time, she decided to cook some pork chops and oven fries for herself and Bobby.

Bobby wandered into the kitchen only minutes after she'd placed dinner on the table. He sat at his seat and began to eat, without a single word to her. She sat down right after he did, also eating in silence.

Jessie finished eating before Bobby did. She wasn't really that hungry and the awkwardness between the two of them was just too much for her to deal with. So she got up from the table, pulled out a slab of beef from the fridge and began to cut it into bite sized pieces.

Bobby watched her with interest for a short time, before he finally couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"What are you doing?"

She turned around, gazing at him with disbelief. "I'm cutting up meat. What does it look like?"

"You mean you aren't gonna be leaving on a hunt?" he asked shrewdly.

She sighed. "Yes, but I'm making beef stew before I go."

"Why?"

She sighed again, pursing her lips dangerously. "If I don't, who will?"

"That's not an answer, Jess."

"Why do you have to make this so difficult for me, Bobby?"

"Cause I care about you, that's why."

"So this is about earlier, isn't it?"

He sighed in frustration. "I know you don't want to talk to me, but I want you to know you can."

"No, Bobby. Not about this."

He shook his head, looking serious and determined. "Now listen to me, Jessie. I'm gonna say this once and then we'll leave it at that. All I'm asking for you is to listen."

"Fine," she replied.

"There's nothing you could say to me that would make me care any less about you, kid. Sam brought on the damn apocalypse, almost ended the world. Hell, both those boys have done so many foolish things and I still feel exactly the same way about them." He paused for a moment to shake his head. "How could anything you've done be worse than that?"

"I may not have started the apocalypse, but that doesn't mean it's not bad, Bobby."

"Well, maybe one day you'll want to talk about it," he remarked. "If that day comes, I'll be here for you."

She nodded her head, then turned her attention back to making stew.

Bobby sighed, leaving the kitchen without another word.

**A/N: Hmm, Dean's had a turnabout but now Bobby seems to be against Sam and Jessie. Either way, Sam's still pushing for more. Do you think her secret is really that bad, or is it all in her own mind? I think we all know Bobby wouldn't turn his back on her, and I'm sure she knows that as well. There must be a reason she can't speak to him about it.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

After Jessie had finished the stew for Bobby, she caught a couple of hours of sleep, before preparing to leave the house. She was downstairs in the kitchen, double checking she had everything she needed, when Bobby walked in quietly, almost startling her.

"So what's the case?" he asked as he walked in.

She raised an eyebrow in question at first, but caught herself before reacting. She knew he was just curious and concerned.

"Well, there's been some mysterious deaths at an animal pound. In the past month, 3 vets, 4 helpers and a security guard have all been killed, apparently by dogs," she paused for a moment to think. "However, all the cages were closed and locked and all of the dogs were accounted for."

"So what're you thinkin?" he asked, more to test her than to question. He already had an idea of what it might be.

"I'm thinking skinwalker."

"You could be right," he said, then paused as if he was going to say more, but he didn't.

"What is it, Bobby?" she asked. "I know you wanna say something."

He eyed her warily. "I was just gonna ask you if you need assistance with this."

Her first reaction was to laugh—she felt this was going to be an easy case—but she kept her laughter to herself.

"I'll be fine, Bobby," she said, then smiled. "Unless you want to come with me."

"Yeah, now you're just humoring this old man."

"I'll be fine, Bobby," she replied as she patted him on the shoulder, then hoisted her dufflebag onto her shoulder. "I swear I'll call you if I need anything."

"Call me anyway, kid," he said with a note of finality.

She nodded her head in agreement, then moved towards him, wrapping her free arm around him in an awkward one-armed hug, before leaving the house.

Once she'd thrown her dufflebag in the back seat of her car, she double checked to make sure she still had more than enough silver bullets stored in her trunk. She knew she had more than enough from the years of hunting werewolves, but she could never just rely on what she thought she knew, she always had to check.

It was early morning when she got into her car and began to drive away from Bobby's. It was still dark and chilly, making her shiver while she was waiting for the engine of the car to heat up. She had a relatively long drive ahead of her, all depending on whether she decided to drive the speed limit, or well over it. But while she should have been in a hurry to get to where she was going, she wasn't.

Driving had never been one of Jessie's favorite things to do before she became a hunter, she had done as little of it as possible for as long as she could. When she went out with friends or her boyfriend, she would insist that they drive. But things were different since she'd begun hunting. Driving was the only time she could find peace from her thoughts—except for when she was drinking—so she actually looked forward to it. She would crank up the radio–or play a favorite CD–and just sing. The hours just seemed to fly by that way, without once ever having to think about anything other than the road in front of her. It was the closest thing to meditation she had.

She was more than halfway to her destination, when her phone rang; it was Sam. She debated whether she was going to answer it for a few moments, then allowed it to go to voicemail. She wanted–and needed–time to herself.

The more distance she put between herself and the Winchesters, the more she felt it would be better to keep that distance there. She had real feelings for Sam, and cared a great deal for Dean, but much time had passed since she'd swore to keep to herself and Bobby had reminded her exactly why. She didn't deserve to have people in her life.

It was shortly before noon when she arrived at her destination. She was going to head straight to the animal shelter, but she stopped to check into a motel first so she could change into some more professional looking clothes. A simple pair of black dress pants and a dark blue, button up dress shirt.

When Jessie walked into the shelter, she was greeted at the front desk by a plump, middle-aged woman, wearing stained track pants and a fuzzy sweater with little red dogs. Her long dark hair, marked with white, was thin and miskempt, making her look crazy or eccentric, but her eyes were marked with wisdom. She made a mental note of this as she thought over her cover story.

"Good afternoon," Jessie said to the woman while reaching out her hand in greeting. "My name is, Jessie Edwards. I believe we spoke on the phone earlier."

"Ah, you must be here for the security guard job," the woman said as she shook her hand.

"Yes, that's me," she replied with a confident look.

"Come with me," the woman said as she opened the small gate that went from the side of the desk to the wall. "I'll show you around."

She smiled and followed behind the woman, glancing around as she did.

The facility was much bigger than she would have imagined. As the woman explained, their facility services the immediate area and some of the smaller nearby communities. She followed her through several areas with cats, dogs, rabbits and a few more exotic pets, as well as the veterinarian offices and the security guards area.

"I'm rather surprised you're interested in this job after the strange things that have been happening around here lately," the woman said after she was finished the tour.

"Well, like I explained. I just moved to town and I need a fresh start," she replied.

"Can you start immediately?"

She looked at her with surprise. "How immediate?"

"I'm short someone for the night shift," she replied quickly. "All I need to do is contact your last work reference and we should be good."

She shook the woman's hand in agreement, then headed back to her motel to get ready. She gave Bobby a quick call to warn him about the 'job', but the woman had already called.

It was a brief call, where she had to remind Bobby she was more than capable of looking after herself. He was concerned at the eagerness of the woman to give her a job, but she wasn't worried. She assumed the woman was just desperate to find someone who would be willing to work under the strange circumstances.

Her first shift began at six p.m. that night. There was one guard to show her around and how things worked. He showed her everything he could, then expected her to be able to take things from there.

She spent the night walking around, while the other guard watched the cameras in the office. He would pop his head out every once in awhile to see if she needed help, but otherwise it was only her walking around.

In the beginning, the smell of animals was strong and overpowering, but by the end of the night she barely noticed it. But what she did notice was that there was nothing strange going on, at least not that night. Her shift ended at 6 a.m. that morning.

She went back to her motel, intending on going right to sleep. But even though she'd hardly slept in the past two days, she wasn't able to fall asleep. So she grabbed a bagel and fruit cup from a coffee shop nearby, then did some additional research on the animal shelter, until she was tired enough to sleep.

She was asleep for only a couple of hours before her phone rang. She sighed with annoyance when she noticed it was Sam again. She was going to let it go to voicemail again, but she figured he would just call again if she didn't answer it.

"Hello?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Hey, Jessie," he said. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yeah, you did," she replied, trying not to sound annoyed.

"Once again, I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd still be sleeping at noon."

She sighed loudly. "I'm on a case, Sam. I was up all damn night."

"Uh, oh, okay," he replied awkwardly. "I was just calling to see how you were, cause you didn't return my call."

"I'm fine. I'm just busy. I'll call you later," she said dismissively.

"Okay. Sorry for bothering you. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye, Sam."  
>"Bye."<p>

She ended the call then stared at her phone for a moment, feeling badly for being so harsh with Sam. It wasn't his fault she'd been sleeping. He had no idea. She was sleepy enough she didn't dwell on it. Instead she laid her head back down on the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

When she woke up next, it was almost four in the afternoon. She barely had time to shower and get ready before she had to be at the shelter. But even though she showed up almost ten minutes late, she wasn't even reprimanded.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could feel that something strange was going on inside the shelter. Most of the people she met were friendly, but they seemed slightly reserved.

That night was as uneventful as the first, however, she was able to learn routines of many of the employees, which would help figure things out if something went amiss.

After work she went straight to bed, waking up around noon. After showering and eating, she called Bobby to update him. If she hadn't, she knew someone would check in on her. She wondered—sarcastically—how she ever got along without being checked on constantly.

Later in the afternoon, she was busy on her computer checking things at home and doing research on employees of the shelter, when Sam called her on Skype. They didn't talk long, but she got the distinct feeling he needed visual proof that she was physically fine. She was slightly annoyed, but she tried her best not to show it. She knew he meant well.

Her third shift at the shelter was much like the previous two, but this time, she was able to manage some snooping while she was working. She snooped through records of all sorts, trying to find any clue as to what might be going on. She found nothing that struck her as important, but she wasn't going to give up.

After she'd slept that day, she woke up in time to watch the noon hour news, which she watched while she was on her laptop researching. Nothing on the news struck her as odd, until a story about a rich woman whose house had been ransacked, valuables stolen and her newly adopted dog was missing.

At first she only thought it seemed odd, but that was until she remembered seeing the rich woman's name on a cheque to the animal shelter while she'd been snooping during her last shift. It seemed unlikely, but she didn't think it was a coincidence. She didn't believe in coincidences.

She began to research about the rich woman and found something very interesting. She'd recently attended an event to give shelter dogs homes, donating $50,000 to the shelter and adopted a dog; the missing dog. There was no way it was a coincidence.

She researched the adopt a shelter dog event and found that more than one wealthy investor had donated to the shelter, as well as adopt a dog. She knew this was the lead she was looking for.

She drove to the house of the most recent victim, posing as an FBI agent.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Covington," Jessie greeted her with her hand out. "My name is Agent Wells."

"Good afternoon, agent," the woman said as she shook her hand.

"I just have a few questions for you, if you don't mind."

"Haven't I answered enough questions already?" she replied with irritation.

"The police aren't quite as forward thinking as I am, ma'am. This won't take long, I assure you."

The woman sighed quietly, shrugged her shoulders, gazing at her impatiently.

"I wanted to ask you about the dog you adopted from the shelter." The woman looked at her with surprise. "How was it acting when you brought it home?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Please, ma'am. I'm trying to look at things from a different perspective than the police."

She rolled her eyes haughtily. "He acted like a dog. Eating, drinking, playing."

"Was there anything that you found unusual about his behavior?"

"Well, no, not exactly. Everything was normal, except for eating. He wouldn't eat out of the beautiful silver dog dish I bought especially for him."

"Made from real silver?" she asked the woman in surprise.

"Of course," the woman replied. "You don't expect me to feed him from a plastic dish, do you?"

Jessie resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead she thanked her for her time and left quickly. She hated dealing with snotty, rich people.

The information she gathered confirmed what she believed, that it was the work of a skinwalker. She assumed they were trying to adopt dogs out to wealthy people so the skinwalker could rob them blind. It seemed a bit strange and far fetched, but it seemed the most likely answer. Now the only thing she needed to figure out was who in the shelter was involved in the plot, before they killed anyone else.

She managed to find time to stop at the motel to change before her next shift, as well as send Bobby a quick email explaining what she'd found, before grabbing one of her flash drives and leaving for the shelter.

When she arrived, the woman who'd hired her seemed to be agitated and short tempered. She was snapping at almost everyone who crossed her path, including Jessie. She only shrugged it off and continued to the guard's room.

The guard who was usually in the room seemed to be absent. She checked the monitors and found him elsewhere in the building. It gave her the chance she needed.

She pulled her flash drive from her pocket and inserted it into the USB port of the computers that ran the security cameras, bringing up a program she used to hack into computer systems. It took her almost no time at all to get control of the system, making her laugh at whomever had installed it. Once she'd put her flash drive away, she left the room to pace the hallways.

The hallways were quieter than they had been since she'd first starting working. There was something in the air that seemed almost tangible, like she could touch or smell it, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

When she passed the vets offices, there was no one there. She walked into one office to search for clues, finding nothing of interest, so she headed into the second office.

As soon as she took a step into the room, she saw a few drops of blood on the floor. She stepped around the blood, walking further into the room, where she found more blood in the form of splatter. It was splattered on the floor, the exam table, the desk and the wall. She immediately reached into the back of her pants and pulled out her gun; the one loaded with silver bullets.

When she left the room, she continued down the hall heading towards the kennels. She noticed a trail of blood droplets still leading towards the kennels. As she approached the metal door that separated the hallway from the kennels, there was a much larger amount of blood in front of it, which looked like it had been smeared as someone had opened the door. She stopped to listen, before carefully opening the door, slowly peeking around, her gun tightly held with both hands in front of her.

She noticed more blood leading down the walkway between the cages of dogs, which were mostly empty now. A few of the cages still housed dogs, but more than half of the twenty in this part of the kennels were empty. The remaining dogs were barking loudly, obviously agitated by something.

As she was walking towards the other end of the kennels, to the door that lead to the next section of kennels, the door she had just entered through opened and the woman who hired her appeared, gazing at her angrily.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Jessie replied, lowering the gun to her side.

The woman glared at her. "I want you to leave, right now!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why there's blood everywhere," she replied standing her ground.

The woman smirked evilly. "You don't know who you're messing with, bitch!"

Jessie smiled. "Actually I do. And if anyone's a bitch, it's you."

The woman's face twisted into a sneer, before she instantly changing into the form of a large dalmatian.

Jessie had been prepared. She was able to kill the dog with one bullet to the hulking chest of the beast, which fell to the ground never to move again, but changing back into it's naked human form.

The noise of the gunshot had been loud and echoed in the open area of the kennels. She knew she'd given herself away, but she also knew couldn't just run and allow these people to continue hurting others. She had to find them all.

She ran towards the door she'd been heading to before being interrupting, opening it quickly. This kennel was also for dogs, which to her relief was full of dogs. She ran down that hallway to the one at the end, which she knew led to a storage area. As she was about to open the door, she heard several loud voices on the other side.

She barely had a chance to react as the door flew open and four angry men were standing in front of her. She turned to run, but as she turned around, she noticed another man standing behind her..

"Shit!" she cursed quietly.

"What are we going to do about you?" the man behind her said with a sneer.

"I told you she looked like trouble," one of the men in the group of four yelled.

"You don't know how right you are," she taunted.

The man behind her snorted in amusement, then glared at the group of men. "What are you doing just standing there? Get her!"

Jessie was able to grab the knife from her ankle sheath and throw it at the man behind her, while she shot blindly behind her. Her shot did hit it's mark, dropping one of the men right after he turned into a dog. The knife, hit the man behind her, but missed any vital organs.

She turned her back to the injured man, shooting towards the other three men who had also turned to dogs. She managed to take down two of them, but the third dodged each bullet that was meant for him. He lunged at her, but she was able to move aside just in time to kick him hard. He flew sideways, smacking into one of the cages, falling hard to the ground.

She was about to shoot him, but the man she'd thrown the knife into dashed at her, changing into a large doberman in midair. He struck her as she turned around to shoot at him, knocking her backwards while his momentum carried him past her. Her gun had flown from her hand, but it landed not far away. She quickly scrambled to grab it, but the doberman was quicker. He jumped on her while snapping his jaws at her face, trying to bite her. She was able to grab a hold of the side of his head and push him off of her with her legs. He flew backwards, hitting a cage with a loud yelp.

The dog was on its legs in an instant, but so was Jessie. She grabbed her gun off of the ground and shot at the doberman twice. The first bullet only glanced off its head, but the second found its heart, dropping it to the ground instantly.

She took a second to breathe, glancing over at the dog that had smacked into the cage. He was lying on the ground whimpering, one of his legs bent at a strange angle. She walked towards him, shooting him in the heart without a second thought, killing him instantly.

She couldn't take time to reflect on what had happened, she didn't know if there were anymore skinwalkers around. So she ran through the building looking for anyone. An extensive search found nothing, except for the missing vet who was dead. She locked every outside door, before heading back to the security room.

She hacked into the security system, stealing the entire camera footage; beginning from the day before she'd ever stepped foot into the facility, until now, copying it onto her flash drive. Once that was complete, she disabled the cameras completely, before going into the personnel files and removed anything that proved she'd ever been there.

While she knew she shouldn't be worried because of using an alias, it was always better to remove all traces of her possible involvement. She'd never been questioned by the police or FBI concerning a case, and she wasn't about to now. With her criminal record, she knew she'd never get a fair shake.

While she waited for information to finish copying and deleting, she dug through the bag she'd had her change of clothes in, changing out of her uniform. She was pleased she'd remembered to bring a hoodie with her this time.

As she was worrying about being seen by cameras from surrounding buildings, she'd had a thought. If any other cameras were outside of the building, she'd have been seen entering and leaving. She couldn't allow that.

She double checked the computers, making sure all traces of her–and her work–were out of the system, then left the building, locking the door behind her.

She walked slowly and carefully around the outside of the building, looking for which buildings had cameras. She was pleased to see that there was only one, and it belonged to an apartment building. She was relieved when she noticed it wasn't even pointed anywhere near the shelter.

It was already dark when she'd left the shelter, so she kept to the shadows as she walked to her car and drove off. She was going to go straight to the motel, but she stopped to have something to eat first before heading back there.

Although she'd slept decently the night before, the battle with the skinwalkers and all the work to cover her tracks had left her exhausted. She locked her laptop and flash drive in the safe, before climbing into bed, falling asleep quickly and effortlessly.

**A/N: Well, she managed to handle things all on her own and avoid dealing with her problems. Nothing new for her. I know this was mostly about her, but there will be more of the boys to come soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

When Jessie woke up, it was nearly dawn. The first thing she did was get dressed and walk to the coffee shop down the street and grab a coffee as well as a blueberry muffin.

Once she was back in her room, she unlocked the safe, retrieving her laptop and flash drive from within it. Sitting down at the table, she began to go through the files and camera footage she'd taken from the shelter.

She got up and turned the TV on to the local news when she realized what time it was. She figured it was around the time for the morning news. She'd only had the TV on for a few minutes when a story about the massacre that had happened at the shelter came on.

She listened with interest as the interviewer spoke to the wife of the vet who'd been found killed, apparently by a dog attack. Jessie felt a pang of guilt for not arriving soon enough to save him, but she knew it wasn't her fault. She'd done what she could.

The rest of the story was about the five 'murdered' men and the 'murdered' woman who ran the shelter, and the mysterious missing camera footage. The police announced that they thought they'd be able to get the footage back, but Jessie knew she was much better than anyone the police would have to help them. The footage was gone forever and so were the files she'd removed. The only thing that could have erased those files more completely then what she had done was a giant magnet.

She was watching through the footage from the night before, when her phone began to ring. It was Bobby.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jess."

"Let me guess, you were wondering if I'm okay?"

"Actually no," he replied. "I just saw the news. I was calling to congratulate you on a job well done."

"Why thank you, Bobby," she replied with slight sarcasm.

"Aren't you worried that the cops will manage to find the footage that's missing?"

"Are you kidding, Bobby?" she replied with a laugh. "I _am_ that good."

He snorted. "And full of yourself."

She laughed. "Remind me to tell you the story about the time I hacked into the university's computers on a dare from my teacher, while he was trying to keep me out. It didn't end well for him."

There was silence on the other line, which made her laugh.

"I'm just glad you're okay," he said.

The way he ended his sentence, it seemed like he wanted to say more to her.

"And you want to know what I'm up to next, right?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know yet. I'll call you and let you know, Bobby. Talk to ya soon."  
>"Take care of yourself, kid."<p>

She sighed as she ended the call. She knew there was more to his call than he'd let on, but she didn't want to dwell on it. She was busy.

She was still busy on her laptop when Sam called her on Skype shortly after her phone call with Bobby. She wasn't really in the mood to talk, but she figured she could keep working while she talked, so she accepted his call.

"Hey, Jessie," he said awkwardly. "You look good."

"You mean I don't look like I just took on a crapload of skinwalkers?" she asked sarcastically.

His eyes shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess that's what I meant."

She had to admire his honesty.

"I told you I can take care of myself, Sam. But, I'll tell you what—" She paused for a moment to watch his reaction. In an instant she knew she'd piqued his interest. "I'm gonna send you the security footage and then you can tell me if you think I can handle myself or not."

"That's not necessary," he replied awkwardly.

"I'm gonna send it anyways," she replied admantly. "I just have to bounce it off a few hundred proxies first."

He shook his head in understanding. "So, what are you up to next?"

"I don't know, why? Do you have leads on another case?"

"No. I was just curious."

"Sam. It's barely been a week since we've seen each other. Don't tell me you miss me already?" she teased.

He looked incredibly uncomfortable. "I guess you could say that."

She thought he looked kind of adorable as he tried to be honest without seeming too eager. But as much as she wanted to be with him too, she also wanted to keep her distance. The constant conflicting feelings were becoming tiresome for her.

"I miss you, too, Sam," she replied, quickly adding, "and Dean," so she didn't sound too eager.

The smile that had begun to grow on his face quickly faded as she mentioned his brother's name.

"Did you get that file yet?" she asked.

"Downloading as we speak."

"So what have you been hunting?"

"Ghosts mainly," he replied. "We had to clear an entire building of spirits. Some idiot built it on top of an old family cemetery."

"That's classy," she replied sarcastically.

"Tell me about it."

There were a few moments of awkward silence, before Dean popped his head over Sam's shoulder and waved.

"Hey, Jessie," he greeted with a smile.

"Hey, Dean," she replied while waving back.

"So this is Skype, huh?" he asked.

Sam and Jessie began to laugh, remembering the comment he had made about Skype when he didn't know what it was.

A moment later, she thought she heard a familiar sound on the other end, as Sam began to click with his mouse.

"Has it finished downloading?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Well...you watch it while I grab myself a drink," she replied, quickly standing up and crossing the room, not giving him a chance to respond.

She walked outside her room, stolling over to the pop machine. After dropping several coins into the machine, she pushed a button for her choice of pop and it rolled to the bottom of the machine with a loud thump. She reached through the little door, pulling out the can, then opened it quickly and took a long drink.

She proceeded to slowly stroll back into her room and over to the table where her laptop was still sitting.

"Did you finish watching it?" she asked Sam nonchalantly, as she sat down in front of the screen.

He gazed at her through the screen unmoving, his expression stoic.

"Yeah."

"So?"

He looked like he was searching for something to say, but didn't know what, when Dean poked his head over his shoulder again.

"Jessie, you're awesome."

She smiled, slightly embarrassed.

"I didn't survive this long without being able to take care of myself."

A knowing look passed over Sam's face, before looking guilty. "I never said you couldn't take care of yourself."

"I know, Sam," she replied. "But you don't need to worry so much about me."

He looked stoic for a moment, then smiled. "No promises."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Sure."

They had a few quietly awkward moments, before they both said goodbye to each other and she signed out of Skype.

Shortly after the conversation, Jessie decided it was time for her to leave the motel–and town–before she had the chance to run into anyone she'd met at the shelter. She did some quick research and found a story that seemed promising a few hours away. So she packed up as quickly as she could, and headed there.

The town Jessie arrived in wasn't very large, so her options for motels were very limited. She drove by a few, deciding on the cleanest looking one. She wasn't in any particular hurry, since she wasn't even too sure about the story she'd found—she'd wanted to get out of the last town quickly enough it didn't matter—so she took her time settling into the motel room, before pulling out her laptop to begin researching a little more in depth, which she spent several hours doing.

When she'd had enough of researching, she called Bobby quickly to let him know where she was before she went out to the nearest place to have something to eat. Her only choices were a diner, or a fast food restaurant, since they were the only places open this late. Although she was already sick of eating at restaurants, she didn't have the luxury of having a kitchen to cook for herself so she had to make do.

When she arrived back at the motel, she was standing in front of her room trying to grab the key from her pocket, when all of the lights around outside began to blink simultaneously. She stopped what she was doing, frozen for a moment, before she realized what could be causing that to happen. She fumbled in her other pocket for her car keys, which she'd only thrown in there moments before, then ran back to her car heading for the trunk. She managed to get the keys into the lock and open the trunk—before everything went black.

Jessie's eyes were open and her body was moving, but none of it was under her control.

Everything she could see seemed very hazy, and her brain felt like it was shrouded in a heavy fog that weighed down on her every thought so heavily, it was nearly impossible to think. Her brain seemed to be crying out for sleep, for unconciousness, but there was a part of it that couldn't allow that, it couldn't lose it's grip no matter what.

Suddenly, she could hear something, very faintly at first, but the harder she tried to listen, the louder it became, until it was almost clear as a bell. It was a voice. A voice of an evil and tortured soul. The voice of a demon. And it was in her mind and her body.

"_You're strong, but I'm stronger_," the voice taunted. "_You can fight me all you want, but you'll never win_."

"_That's where you're wrong. I'm not gonna let you stay in my head or body, you evil bitch_!"

She could hear the demon laughing in amusement.

"_My boss has plans for you, so I'm not going anywhere right now_."

She wanted to ask more questions, but it had suddenly become much more difficult to keep her self-awareness. She needed all the strength she could muster to be able to keep it that way. She decided she could try and figure out what the demon was up to later. For the moment, she needed to keep aware of what her own body was doing. She needed to wait for the perfect moment to fight back.

Sam was busily packing his dufflebag when his phone began to ring. He dropped the bag and the clothes he had in his other hand, took the phone out of his pocket and looked at the display. He was surprised that it read; Jessie.

"Hello?"

"Sam," she said. "Are you busy right now?"

"Just packing. Why?"

"I, uh, think I'm in way over my head here. I was hoping you and Dean could come, help me."

"Uh, yeah," he replied in confusion. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Sam."

"Where are you?"

"I'll text you the address."

"Sure. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Sam."

"Bye, Jessie."

Sam pocketed his phone, then hurriedly finished his packing. He had intended on waiting for Dean to come back so he could pack his own belongings, but he felt that Jessie was in trouble and needed them right away, so he packed his brother's belongings as well, then waited impatiently outside for him to return.

He heard the Impala coming down the road, before he could even see it. He was holding a dufflebag over each arm and his laptop bag was slung over his shoulder. He looked at Dean with impatience as he pulled into the parking lot.

"What's going on?" Dean asked, as Sam opened the car door.

He threw the dufflebags and his laptop into the back seat, then sat down in the car, slamming the door.

"Jessie called," he began to explain, "She needs us."

"Needs us, or you?" Dean teased.

He glanced at his brother with narrowed eyes. He didn't find it very amusing.

"If she asked for our help, it must be pretty bad, Dean. Especially after what she did to prove she could look after herself."

He sighed, rolling his eyes, even though his brother couldn't see them while he was driving.

"While normally I might suggest you get that stick out of your ass," he said as he turned to glance quickly at him, before turning his attention back to the road. "I'm inclined to agree with you—this one time."

"I just wish she'd said more on the phone."

"You're worried about her, aren't you?"

"It's more than that, Dean. Something in her voice—I just can't put my finger on it."

He reached over and patted his brother supportively on the shoulder. "We'll be there in a couple hours, Sammy."

"Yeah," he replied, turning his head to look out the side window.

He couldn't put a finger on it, but Sam became more and more suspicious about the call the longer he thought about it. He knew his brother wouldn't understand, he wasn't as intuitive. He figured Dean was only humoring him about the whole situation.

The drive to the motel Jessie was staying at seemed unusually long to Sam. He knew it was because he was concerned about Jessie, making time seem like it was passing much slower than it was, but that didn't make it any more bearable to him. Even as Dean pulled the Impala into the motel parking lot right beside her Caprice, he felt like he was going to jump out of his skin.

As Sam flung the car door open–before it had even been put in park–Dean yelled his name, stopping him suddenly.

"What is it, Dean?" he asked anxiously, leaning into the car.

"Where the hell is your head, Sam?" he asked harshly. "We don't know what's going on. Since when do we walk blindly into a situation?"

He stared at his brother unblinking for a moment, then shook his head. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking."

"I know what you were thinking," he replied sarcastically. "You weren't."

He gave his brother a tiresome look, then reached for his gun and checked to make sure it was loaded, before closing the car door, waiting impatiently.

Once Dean had checked his gun and placed it in the back of his jeans, the two of them approached the door cautiously. A knowing look passed between them as Sam knocked on the motel room door.

It seemed like minutes, or even hours to Sam, but it was only seconds before Jessie opened the door, glancing at the brothers with worry.

Another look passed between them as they walked into the room, this time one of concern. They walked into the middle of the room, then turned to wait for her to close the door.

When she finally closed the door, she turned around looking completely stoic. If Sam hadn't known better, he'd have thought she was heartless, cold and unfeeling.

"I'm glad you came so quickly."

"Why couldn't you tell us what was happening on the phone?" Sam asked.

"Because this couldn't be done over the phone," she replied evenly.

She began to grin mirthlessly, causing the brothers to reach for their weapons defensively. But with a sudden flick of her hand, Sam and Dean each flew against the wall, before they even had a chance.

They were struggling against a force that had them pinned against the wall, but they were no match for the demon's powers. They could only glare at the body of the woman who was now only a vessel for a demon.

"Awww, if it isn't the Winchester brothers in the flesh, come to rescue this poor, pathetically broken woman," the demon began to taunt.

"Shut your mouth, demon bitch!" Dean yelled.

"Why would I want to do that, Dean?" it asked with an evil grin. "Then you can't listen to all the things I have to tell you."

"You have nothing to say that we want to hear!" Sam yelled, struggling against the invisible force.

It smiled malevolently, making the face of Jessie look twisted and ugly. "Oh, you'll want to hear this, Sam. You'll both want to hear this."

It walked closer to them, stopping only a few feet away, still grinning. "She's got secrets she doesn't want anyone to know about. Secrets she'd rather die than reveal." Its smile became larger. "It's really a shame I can't make that wish come true."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked.

It turned to glance at Sam, grinning wildly. "I'm not allowed to kill her, which is such a shame. But orders are orders."

"Who's orders?" Dean asked.

"I know you're not that bright, Dean, but, come on. You must have some idea."

"Crowley?"

"Oooh, aren't we a smart boy?" it mocked.

"What does Crowley want with Jessie?" Sam asked with worry.

It laughed coldly. "That I don't know. But even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you." It stopped, glancing at Dean. "She's completely in love with your brother. Were you aware of that, Dean?"

He glanced at his brother, who looked slightly uncomfortable, then back at the demon.

"Yeah, so?"

"You mean you're not afraid of losing him to this tramp, Dean?"

"Don't call her a tramp!" Sam yelled, then moaned in agony as the demon caused him pain.

"It's true though, Sam," it said with a smile. "Dean's afraid of losing you to her. He even told her." It watched with pleasure as Sam glanced at his brother with shock and dismay. "Too bad she doesn't know exactly how you feel about her, huh, Dean? You think she's damaged goods."

"Shut up, bitch!"

"Well she knows now," the demon said, laughing in pleasure. "She's awake in here with me."

"I don't feel that way about her anymore," Dean replied with guilt.

It grinned maliciously. "No, of course you don't. In fact, you didn't think that way about her the night you slept with her, now did you?"

"Shut up!"

"No, Dean, I don't think so. In fact, I'm gonna do you a favor." It closed its eyes, then opened them slowly, grinning maliciously again. "Now she remembers the whole night."

"You evil bitch!" Dean screamed.

It looked towards Sam, whose face seemed twisted in agony. Then suddenly, its arms went to its head, its eyes closed and it seemed to be shaking, but it only last a few moments, before it opened its eyes again, grinning mischieviously.

"She definitely didn't like that," it said quietly.

"She's stronger than you think she is," Sam said with pride.

"Not as strong as she thinks though," it replied. "She's got a lot of skeletons in her closet. You see, that's why it's so easy to get her to back down. All I have to do is threaten to reveal her secret, the one she was fighting with Bobby about only a week ago." It gazed at Dean, grinning. "I guess I should just get this over with."

"Get what over with?" Dean asked.

"Kill you, Dean," it replied. "I would have done it already, but I like to play with my victims first."

"What about, Sam?"

"No, I'm not gonna kill your brother," it replied with a smirk. "Crowley has plans for him as well." It shrugged mockingly. "Sorry. Dean. You're the odd man out."

Sam glanced at the demon with surprise, then turned to his brother looking frightened.

Dean glared at the demon bravely. "Go ahead then. Kill me."

Sam screamed, "No!"

The demon picked a sharp knife up from the table that was nearby, testing its sharpness against the thumb of its vessel, drawing a slight amount of blood, smiling in pleasure as the crimson fluid burst from the skin.

"I wonder if this will still be her favorite knife after I kill you with it, Dean," it said with a grin that only lasted an instant, before it doubled over, screaming in pain.

The force that was holding the brothers against the wall, began to waver as the demon continued to howl in pain. They were trying desperately to break free of it, when it seemed to gain control over Jessie's body once again.

"I tried to play nice with this bitch, but she refuses to cooperate. So...since I can't kill her, I'm gonna do one better."

The demon was angry, holding onto the knife tightly. She glared at the brothers, wild eyed and insane. "You think Jessie is this big hero or something. Just like you boys, right?" it taunted. "But she's not a hero. She's just a scared, lonely little girl who's crying out for redemption. Everything she touches she ruins." The demon laughed, but it came out of Jessie's mouth as if it was being strangled. "She killed her boyfriend, then covered up his death. Made it look like a car accident."

Dean and Sam looked at each other in shock, then turned back to the demon as it began to screech loudly, flailing around in pain.

The demon continued to scream, then let out a strangled cry of pain as the opposite hand that was holding the knife, wrapped around the blade, squeezing so tightly it cut the skin of her hand.

Suddenly, the force holding the brothers let go, dropping them to the ground unceremoniously.

Dean yelled his brother's name, then without hesitation, reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulled out a flask of holy water, took the top off and began splashing it at the demon, who howled loudly in pain as each splash of holy water touched the body it was inhabiting.

Sam had waited a moment, until the demon was sufficiently in pain, then began to chant an exorcism in latin.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus. Omnis Satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversii. Omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, ergo, draco maledicte ecclesiam tuam. Secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos."

It was only moments before it looked skyward, and black smoke came billowing from Jessie's mouth, then her body fell heavily to the ground with a thud.

**A/N: Well, wasn't that full of surprises? What do you think is going to happen now that they all know Jessie's deep dark secret? And what do you think Crowley could possibly want with her?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Sam picked Jessie's limp body from the floor and carried it to the couch, lying her down gently. He glanced uneasily at his brother, who had just finished pouring salt around the windows and doorway and now had his phone up to his ear. He looked questioningly, before turning his attention back to the couch.

He remembered the demon saying it couldn't hurt her, but that did little to relieve his worry. He had forgotten about her injury in his haste to make sure she was okay, but once he noticed it, he ran to the bathroom, retrieving a towel and wrapped it around her hand.

Dean walked over to the couch, stopping behind Sam, who was now sitting on the floor.

"Bobby's on his way," he said, as he laid a blanket over Jessie.

When Sam didn't say anything, he decided to elaborate. "I thought she would want him here when she woke up."

He looked up at his brother. "Thanks, Dean."

"Yeah, well, I didn't do it for you," he replied, glancing around the room.

He walked to the other side of the room, spying a bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a glass, then sat at the table to drink.

When Sam noticed what he was doing, he stood up from the floor and joined him at the table. His brother offered him the bottle of whiskey, but he shook his head in refusal.

The room was silent for a short time while Dean was drinking and Sam was watching him wordlessly. Both brothers were pondering things the demon had told them.

"Do you think what that thing said was true, Dean?"

"What part?"

"All of it," he replied with anguish.

"I don't know, Sam, but I hope not," he replied truthfully. "If Crowley is interested in her—well, who knows."

"That's the part I don't understand, Dean," he replied with confusion. "Why would it tell us what he wanted?"

"Who the hell knows with demons, Sam. But what I do know is, we can't be letting her out of our sight."

He gazed at his brother with wide eyes. "Oh yeah, she's gonna enjoy that. I dare you to tell her."

He was stoic for a moment before laughing loudly. "No, I think that'll be your job, Sammy," he teased. "She's in love with _you_ after all."

"That's not funny, Dean," he retorted quickly.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Seriously dude, she'll listen to you." He stopped to shake his head. "Can we just stop pretending you don't have feelings for her?"

"What?"

"Dammit, Sam! I'm not blind, or stupid and I'm insulted that you'd think otherwise."

"We _cannot_ talk about this, Dean."

"Oh, but I think we'd better, Sam," he replied adamantly. "Crowley is interested in you and Jessie, but wants me out of the way. Sounds like he's hoping the two of you will end up together."

He snorted in disbelief. "How much of that whiskey have you drank?"

"I'm not drunk. I'm just trying to think of this logically.

"Logically?" he replied with a laugh. "That seems miles away from logical, Dean. Why would he care if we end up together?"

"Hell if I know," he replied truthfully. "But if he does, we can be sure that it's not because he wants to see you happily married."

"Well, if you're done speculating, Dean," he said, glancing quickly over his shoulder for a moment. "We need to speak about something else."

"What?"

"What're we gonna do if she wakes up before Bobby gets here?" he asked with worry. "After what that demon told us–if it's true–she's gonna be messed up."

"The really sad part is, I think it is true, Sam," he replied ruefully. "You heard what Bobby said before we left his house. He was fighting with her about a secret. A secret that's been torturing her. That sounds about as bad of a secret as one could have."

"So you think it's true? That she killed her boyfriend?" he asked defensively. "Does she seem like the kind of person that could do that, Dean?"

"We don't know the circumstances. But you and I both know that anyone is capable of something like that."

He shook his head, refusing to believe it could be true.

"Fine, Sam. You can be in denial all you want. I could really care less," he replied bluntly, then poured himself another drink.

He glared at his brother for a moment, then stood up from the table and walked over to the couch. He pondered for a moment what he should do, then sat down on the floor cross-legged, leaning against the couch feeling lost.

Dean watched his brother slumped against the couch unsure what to say to make him feel better. Making people feel better was definitely not one of his strong suits. His solution was to drink until he felt good enough not to care anymore. However, he knew Sam wouldn't do that, and he felt like he had to do something to help him. He just had no idea what.

The next hour passed very slowly–and quietly–for the brothers. Dean continued to drink, though he did slow down his consumption considerably. Sam continued to sit on the floor, but he would get up and pace around every so often, then sit down again. The only sounds that were heard were the sounds of their movements, and the occasional moan from Jessie.

But shortly after the one and a half hour mark, she began to stir.

Jessie bolted upright, eyes wide open. Her breath caught in her throat as she glimpsed Dean sitting at the table, making her turn towards the back of the couch, burying her face in it.

She wanted to scream, and cry, but somehow she couldn't do either. She was feeling so many emotions all at once, she wasn't even sure which one she was feeling strongest.

She felt Sam lay a supportive hand on her shoulder, calling her name gently, but she wanted to keep her face buried against the couch. She couldn't face him, she was afraid of what she might see. She knew how she felt about herself, so how could anyone else feel any different?

He called her name gently again, then once more, before tears began to form in her eyes. She fought them back, but the harder she tried, the harder it became. She knew there was only one thing she could do to stop herself from breaking down. She had to face Sam and Dean. She would rather face down her fear and see the loathing she was sure to find in Sam's eyes, then to break down and show her vulnerable side.

She turned her head away from the couch, looking downwards. She grasped the blanket that was lying on her tightly then brought her knees up towards her chest. She began to slowly tilt her head towards Sam, but as she glimpsed him in her peripheral vision, she found she wasn't feeling quite as brave as she'd thought she was.

He called her name again quietly, gently. There was no hint of anger, hatred, or even fear in the way he called her, only sympathy. She wasn't sure what to think. She was afraid that he was only pretending to be sympathetic.

It took her several moments before she was able to turn her head to face Sam. His eyes seemed to be saying the same thing his voice did, that he felt sympathetic towards her.

"How're you feeling?" he probed gently.

"My head is aching and my hand hurts," she replied, lifting her hand up to examine it.

"Do you—what do you remember?" he asked hesitantly.

She was still examining her hand when she glanced at him. "I remember this," she replied, shaking her hand slightly, before laying it down beside her.

"Do you feel like talking about what happened?"

She averted her eyes for a moment to think, then glanced back at him.

"I was possessed. You exorcised the demon. End of discussion," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Jessie..."

"No, Sam. I don't think I need to discuss anything with you."

Dean stood up from the table, walking over to stand behind his brother.

"You get away from me, Dean," she shrieked.

"What did I do?" he asked innocently.

His brother glanced at him quickly, looking angry. "Dean. You're not helping."

She turned away looking guilty, while Dean took a few steps away.

The awkward silence that followed was quickly shattered by a loud knock at the door.

Dean stood up instantly, answering the door. He'd barely opened it, when in flew Bobby looking breathless and concerned.

Sam stood up, allowing Bobby to stand in his place, then dragged a chair from the table next to the couch so he could sit down.

Jessie had been watching much of the commotion unseeing. Thoughts were swimming through her head that she was desperately trying to suppress, to no avail. But once she realized Bobby was sitting in front of her, she knew she'd have to face them, one way or another. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm sorry, Bobby," she wailed, as tears began to escape from her eyes.

"What are you sorry for, kid?" he asked with concern.

"I'm a monster."

He laid a supportive hand on hers, which was lying next to her. "Why don't you explain what happened, Jess? I can't imagine it's as bad as you think it is."

She shook her head very lightly, wiping the stream of tears from her eyes.

"It's true, Bobby. What the demon said. I killed my boyfriend."

All three sets of eyes were focused intently upon her, but none of them were judging her. Each of them had done things they weren't proud of and definitely didn't want to speak about. If anyone could understand, it was them.

"How did it happen?" Bobby asked, once it appeared she wasn't going to volunteer the information.

She wanted to make excuses, tell him it was none of his business, but she had begun to feel like she needed to finally be free of this secret. Either way, they'd already heard about it, they just needed to hear the whole story.

She sighed heavily, before she began to speak. "After I had to kill my grandfather I was a wreck. My boyfriend kept trying to call me from school, but I wouldn't answer my phone." Her voice began to quiver slightly, but she kept speaking. "The third day I'd been at my grandfather's, he showed up out of the blue. He tried to comfort me, but I was lost in my despair. At the time, I barely even realized he was there." She began to visibly shake, fighting to keep her voice from faltering. "Later that night, when I thought he was asleep, I took my pistol outside with me, loaded it and stuck it up to my head, fully intent on killing myself."

The faces of the three men changed slightly, but neither seemed to be judging her. Bobby looked understanding, Dean looked pitiful and Sam looked even more sympathetic.

"As I pulled the hammer of the gun back, my boyfriend came up behind me yelling my name. I knew it was the only chance I had of ending my misery, so I tried to pull the trigger. The problem was, he was already right behind me and he tried to wrestle the gun out of my hands. It went off, shooting him in the neck."

There was silence for a short time while everyone took in what she'd said. And while she did her best to control her sobbing—which by the end of her story was heavy—she was unable to hold any of it back. It was as if a dam of all her pent up emotions had broken loose and there was no way to stop it.

It took several minutes before she was able to control herself again. She opened her reddened eyes slowly, feeling the sting of the light and air making her rub them gently.

She climbed out of the blanket and stood up, before glancing around the room quickly. Bobby and Sam had been speaking softly only feet away from the couch, and Dean was standing near the table with a drink in his hand. They all turned to gaze at her, making her suddenly feel self-concious.

"I'm gonna have a shower," she announced quickly as she grabbed her dufflebag off of the floor by the couch and ran into the bathroom.

Jessie spent the better part of an hour in the shower trying to wash her problems away. She felt like she'd been violated by the nasty creature who'd spent a short time inside her body, and the thought of the water washing away any impurities that might remain made her feel a little better.

She took her time getting redressed and fully dried her hair with her mini hair dryer. She usually preferred to let her hair dry naturally–except in cold weather–but she was doing everything possible to avoid leaving the bathroom, for as long as she could. But when she ran out of things to keep herself occupied, she finally left the bathroom dragging her dufflebag with her.

Her first urge was to grab her bottle of whiskey and drown herself in a warm, comforting state of oblivion, but she knew that wasn't going to help, not this time. She needed to face up to her issues head on, so she could move on from all of it.

It was about time.

The three men were sitting at the table as she came out of the bathroom, each glancing at her inconspicuously from their vantage points. They seemed to be feeling as uncomfortable as she was, making her feel only slightly better.

She threw her dufflebag on the floor by the couch, then walked to the empty spot at the table and sat down between Bobby and Dean.

"I'm starving," she said to no one in particular.

They all glanced at her with surprise.

"Sorry, but that demon made me miss a meal," she said as she fished around in her pocket. "Is anyone else hungry? Besides, Dean?"

Everyone chuckled nervously.

"Look, I'm not broken," she said with irritation. "Let's stop pretending that I am."

She slapped her credit card on the table, sliding it towards Dean. "Why don't you and Sam go get something for all of us?"

The brothers exchanged a curious glance, then looked at Bobby.

"You heard her," Bobby said. "Get going. Both of ya."

Dean looked at Jessie as he picked her card up from the table. "Is there anything you want?"

"I'll leave it up to you," she replied.

With one more glance towards his brother, he stood up from the table and left the motel room, followed quickly by Sam. Leaving Bobby and Jessie alone.

"What did you want to talk about, Jess?" he asked knowingly.

"Now you know my secret, Bobby."

"You're right, kid. And didn't I tell you nothing would change?"

"Maybe not for you, Bobby," she replied with a sigh.

"Look at me, Jessie," he demanded. She lifted her eyes, gazing into his reluctantly. "What happened with your boyfriend was a tragic accident. But that's what it was, an accident."

"It was still my fault, Bobby. If I hadn't tried to kill myself..."

He set his hand on hers in support. "You can't change what happened, anymore than I can change what happened with my wife."

"Bobby..."

"No, Jess. You'll feel guilty for the rest of your life no matter what anyone ever says to you," he said sadly. "But that doesn't mean it was your fault. Just remember that."

She sat quietly pensieve for a short time, then glanced at Bobby with a teasing grin.

"When did you become so wise, old man?"

He laughed and shook his head lightly. "What ever am I going to do with you?"

"Let's hope you never have to find out," she said as she stood up and walked across the room.

She reached into the door under the night stand, pulling out a new bottle of whiskey, carrying it back to the table. She slammed it on the table as she sat down, then opened it, pouring it into two glasses that were already on the table.

"I hope you don't mind the good stuff," she said with a grin.

He picked up the glass she'd poured for him, swallowing it in one gulp. "I guess I could take a break from ol' rot gut."

"Thank you, Bobby," she said with a grateful smile after she'd drank the contents of her glass.

"My pleasure, kid."

She poured another glass for each of them, then looked at him seriously. "We have something more important to talk about."

"I know," he replied. "Since you were the one possessed, I was hoping you'd have more insight into what it had said about Crowley and his plans."

"What it said was true. It doesn't know much more than what it told Sam and Dean."

"Much more?" he said questioningly.

"It was hiding something from me. That's all I know, Bobby."

"Is what Dean thinks true?" he asked. "Does Crowley have some kind of vested interest in you and Sam ending up together?"

Her insides began to squirm as he finished his question. Then she lied straight to his face without a second thought.

"I don't know, Bobby. I only know he wants me and Sam for something."

She hated to lie to Bobby of all people, but she was afraid of what might happen if she told him the truth. Crowley did want them together, that was true. But she didn't even have an inkling why. She didn't think it mattered one way or the other. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen, with or without the interference of demons.

"I have one last question for you, Jess."

"Huh?"

"Are you really in love with Sam?" he asked, at the same moment the door to the motel room opened.

**A/N: I know it was a short chapter, so I will try and update the next one sooner rather than later.**

**So, she finally spoke about her deep, dark secret. Do you think she's really past it? And what about Crowley? What do you think he's up to? And what do you think they should do to try and find out what he's up to?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Jessie glanced uneasily at the door—which Sam and Dean has just walked through—carrying a bucket of chicken and a few paper bags with food. She hadn't realized they'd told Bobby about everything the demon had said, so when he asked her if she was in love with Sam, she'd been completely blindsided. She wasn't quite sure of the answer, even if she wanted to tell him. But worst of all, the brothers had walked in just as he was asking her, and she was positive they were all waiting for a response.

She glanced back at Bobby looking completely uncomfortable. "I don't know, Bobby."

It was about as close to the truth as she was willing to speak out loud, at least while in mixed company.

The brothers placed the bucket and bags of food on the table, then dug out the paper plates. Everyone took a plate, then they passed the food around, each taking whatever it was they wanted.

As hungry as Jessie was, she was finding it difficult to eat and pretend everything was fine and normal. Everyone else seemed to be able to, which infuriated her. She wanted nothing better than to forget all of the awkwardness and relax. But no matter how much she wanted it, it was impossible. Even with alcohol.

After they were finished eating, things became a little more uncomfortable for everyone. Dean had chosen to sit on the couch and watch TV, while Bobby and Sam were bent over his laptop discussing something other than herself or Crowley, which was a relief.

She hadn't noticed when she had first awakened, but it had actually been pretty late in the day. Her sense of time was seriously out of whack, due to her being possessed.

All she wanted was a few moments alone to herself, she needed it. Her time in the shower had been a nice break, but she was feeling like the walls were closing in again. She got up from the table and walked to the door, but Bobby yelled at her before she could open the door fully.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She turned to glance at him irritably. "I need some fresh air, Bobby."

"Alone?"

She rolled her eyes impatiently. "Fine. Dean can come with me."

Everyone looked at her with surprise, though none with as much surprise as Dean.

"I'm not getting any fresh air in here, Dean," she said impatiently.

He jumped up from the couch in a hurry, following her out the door. He had to step quickly to catch up to her.

"Where are we going?" he asked curiously.

She didn't answer him. Instead she kept walking until she reached the motel office, with him right behind.

He continued to watch silently as she paid for another room on her credit card, then walked out of the office, heading to the pop machine. She dug out some change from her pocket, put it in the machine, choosing a cola. As she opened the can, Dean couldn't deal with the silence any longer.

"Why did you choose me to escort you?"

She gazed at him evenly. "I assumed you would be the the least likely to try and strike up an uncomfortable conversation with me." She paused, cracking a slight smile. "Guess I was wrong."

"Oh. I was just surprised."

"Why, Dean?"

"I just figured you wouldn't want me anywhere near you now that you, uh, you know," he stammered.

Her smile disappeared quickly as she realized what he'd meant. "Now that I remember that night you mean?"

"Yeah."

She looked away for a moment, before turning back to him. "I thought we moved past this, Dean. But that bitch stirred it all up again. I know I overreacted when I woke up earlier, but that's all it was. Nothing's changed."

"I'm really sorry, Jessie. I never meant..." he trailed off, unable to finish his thought.

"It's okay, Dean. Really."

A short moment of awkward silence followed, before Dean broached another subject. One he hoped wouldn't seem quite so controversial.

"So who's the other motel room for?"

She smiled. "For you and Sam, of course," she replied as she handed him the key.

He raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he took the key. "You didn't have to pay. It's not like I'm destitute."

"Just take the damn charity and shut up," she replied with a hint of a smile.

He smiled, then followed her as she began to walk back towards her motel room, until she stopped at the doorway and turned to look at him.

"Was there something else you wanted to ask me?"

He shrugged, looking perplexed.

She gazed straight into his eyes, looking serious and determined. "The answer to Bobby's question is, yes. I'm in love with your brother, Dean."

He was taken aback by her directness, but not by her answer.

"Why are you telling me this?"

She chuckled slightly. "I would've thought that was obvious. I wanted you to know before things became too awkward between us."

"I told you I was fine if you wanted to be with Sam. It was the truth."

She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it quickly, rethinking what she had been about to say.

"I don't know what it means, Dean. But I have a feeling that Sam and I could never be happy together."

"Why would you say that?" he asked with surprise.

She snorted in disbelief. "Should I write a list? At the top of a very long list would be demons."

"We'll deal with that, Jessie. You shouldn't worry."

"You make it sound so easy, Dean. But I'm not as optimistic as you are."

He laughed ironically. "Optimism has nothing to do with it. I just know there's always a way to deal with those sons-a-bitches."

"Maybe you're right, Dean. But things never seem to work out the way I expect," she replied with a long sigh.

"You and me both," he agreed. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

She smiled, shaking her head slightly. "If you can be sympathetic and wise, I guess there's hope for us after all," she teased.

"Yeah, yeah," he said with a grin. "Let's get inside before someone worries we've killed each other."

She laughed. "Thanks, Dean."

"For what?"

"For putting me in a better mood," she replied as she opened the door.

Dean followed her inside the room, then slumped onto the couch turning the TV back on.

Jessie walked over to the table where Sam and Bobby were still bent over Sam's laptop and sat down beside Sam.

"You didn't kill Dean," he said with a grin. "You must be feeling better."

"Don't tell him this but, he actually made me feel better," she replied in a hushed voice.

He smiled at her brightly, making her smile in response.

Bobby reached over the table, dropping a silver charm in front of Jessie, staring at her intently as he did.

"Wear that."

She gazed back at him defiantly. "I don't like wearing jewelry, Bobby."

"You have two choices, young lady," he said commandingly. "You either wear that, or get a tattoo. No arguments."

She continued with her defiant look for a moment longer, then burst out laughing.

"There's no contest, old man. I'd rather get a tattoo than wear that thing," she replied, then pushed the charm in his direction.

"Fine," he replied without missing a beat. "That's on tomorrow's agenda then, Jess."

"Fine," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders that meant she agreed with him.

He scooped the charm up from the table, pocketing it. Glancing back at her, he opened his mouth, then his phone rang, which he answered promptly.

She looked at Sam, trying not to smile so brightly, but only managed to make herself feel foolish.

"I never got to thank you, Sam."

"What did I do?" he asked with surprise.

"If it wasn't for your sympathetic voice, I doubt I'd have moved from that couch."

"Yeah, you would of," he replied modestly.

He reached a hand under the table, taking her hand into his, squeezing it gently, while he was smiling at her.

The touch of his tender grasp sent a wave of warmth through her, making her smile shyly.

Suddenly, Bobby yelled, "Balls!" and slammed his fist on the table, snapping Sam and Jessie out of their tender moment.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, as she quickly pulled her hand from Sam's looking guilty.

"Nothing important," he said dismissively. "Just some fool hunter who's gone and got himself into some trouble."

"What else is new?" she said teasingly.

"Tell me about it."

She didn't know what made her think of it, but she figured it might have something to do with her sudden feeling of shyness. She got up from the table, dug around in her duffelbag, pulling out a deck of cards. After walking back to the table, she flopped them down as she took her seat again.

"Who wants to play poker?"

Dean immediately jumped up from the couch and ran to the table with a wide grin on his face.

"I'm in," he said while staring at her. "I wanna see you put your money where your mouth is."

She laughed at him. "That's right. I did say I would wipe the table with you, didn't I?"

Bobby and Sam exchanged anxious looks as the two of them stared each other down.

"Okay, let's bring this down a few notches," Bobby said glancing back and forth between Dean and Jessie.

Once everyone had settled down and agreed to play, and agreed on rules, and antes and everything else involved. They each threw $100 into a pile, then Dean fetched Jessie's set of poker chips from the trunk of her car.

He asked her why she had them in her car, but she only gave him a dirty look and refused to answer. He figured she played way more poker than she'd let on. But that wasn't going to stop him from taking her down a few pegs. He was positive he could beat her.

It was well into the second hour, when Sam finally lost all of his chips. Jessie and Dean had the biggest pile of chips, but Bobby still had more than enough to be able to catch up. However, it was shortly into the third hour when he lost all of his chips in a large hand, that Dean happened to win.

Jessie and Dean played for more than an hour after Bobby dropped out. He stayed at the table to deal for them, hoping it would end the game quicker, but that didn't happen.

It was almost five hours since they'd begun to play, when the last hand was finally played. The showdown between Jessie and Dean, ended with him winning. He tried really hard not to rub it in, but he couldn't help doing exactly that before he headed to his own room to sleep.

After he was gone, and Bobby was busy, Sam turned to her with a conspiratorial grin on his face.

"You let him win, didn't you?"

"What?" she replied as she packed up the poker chips. "I'd never throw a game of poker, Sam."

He grinned at her as he took the case of chips from her. "You can deny it all you want, but I know what you had in your hand."

"You only think you do, Sam."

"So you didn't have a full house?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "If you're that good, why were you the first one out?"

"I was enjoying myself more watching you play," he replied with a smile.

She smiled shyly, before looking away. "It's time for bed, Sam. I'll see you in the morning. I mean, whenever it is I wake up."

"Okay. I'll see you later then," he replied, carrying her case of poker chips with him as he left.

She watched him leave, before climbing in to bed and falling fast asleep.

When Jessie finally woke up, it was almost noon. It normally would have upset her getting up that late, if it hadn't been early in the morning by the time she'd manage to get to sleep. She glanced around the room, noticing that Bobby was already awake and on the phone.

"Dean dropped off some breakfast sandwiches earlier," Bobby said pointing to a paper bag on the table as he covered his phone.

"Coffee?"

His eyes widened slightly, mouthing the word, "_Sorry_."

She sighed in aggravation, grabbed her dufflebag and went into the bathroom to get fully dressed. She could do without food before she could do without coffee.

When she was finished in the bathroom, she put her shoes and jacket on and was about to walk outside, when the door opened and in walked Sam carrying a coffee.

"Please say that's for me?"

He smiled mirthlessly, handing it to her. "Of course."

She smiled thankfully, taking a sip. "Thank you, Sam."

"I would love to tell you it was a noble thing," he said with a teasing grin. "But I was afraid to show up here without coffee for you."

She narrowed her eyes dangerously before raising an eyebrow in a sarcastic manner. "Ha, ha, Sam. You're just as hilarious as your brother."

He laughed as she gave him a pouty look and walked away looking insulted.

She reheated two of the breakfast sandwiches, then sat at the table to eat them. She listened as Bobby was talking animatedly on his phone with who she could only assume was another hunter. When the profanities began to fly, she knew for sure it was another hunter. She figured she probably knew who it was just by the spirit of the conversation. Someone she wasn't very fond of either. In fact, the last time she'd spoke with the same man, she'd said some colorful things as well. Not to mention a promise to kill him if she ever ran into him again.

At some point while she was lost deep in thought, Dean had come into the room and was now arguing with Sam about something. She had missed some of the argument, but she was listening now.

"I told you no, Dean," Sam said firmly.

"Why not? What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"Are you being serious right now? Or have you finally lost your mind?"

"I'm being serious, Sam. You wanna know what's going on just as much as I do."

He snorted. "We can't trust him anymore, even if he did want to help us."

"He was like family once. Why can't we at least try?"

Suddenly, Bobby's voice boomed louder than the Winchesters' argument.

"What the hell are you two idjits arguing about?"

Dean and Sam both turned to gaze at him simultaneously, looking guilty.

"Well?" Bobby asked impatiently.

Jessie couldn't help but giggle quietly at the absurdity of the situation.

"It's nothing, Bobby," Sam replied dismissively.

"So you were fighting for nothing?" he asked with irritation glancing at Sam, then Dean.

Dean shot his brother a tenative look, before turning back to Bobby. "I just had a suggestion on where to look for help, but Sam doesn't think it's a good idea."

Sam glared at his brother looking deadly.

"Spit it out," Bobby demanded.

She didn't know why, but Jessie felt like she didn't want to hear his suggestion. Something in the way Sam was looking at his brother almost frightened her.

"I thought maybe we could try to contact Cas."

Before anyone could reply, Jessie stood up and yelled. "Absolutely not!"

The three men turned to glance at her in surprise.

"Why would you have a problem with it?" Dean asked indignantly.

"This is my life we're talking about, _Dean_," she replied furiously. "I don't want angels involved."

"You don't even know him."

"I don't want to know him, Dean," she said angrily. "You seem to forget all the lying and manipulating he did to you and your brother."

"A lot of things have happened since then. I'd like to think people can change."

"People!" she snorted. "He's an angel. They can't be trusted any more than demons can."

"I don't think that's a fair statement."

"I got one word for you, Dean—apocalypse."

"Jessie," Bobby called her, cutting off Dean from saying anything else. "I think maybe we should consider this."

"What?" Jessie and Sam exclaimed simultaneously.

"Have you gone insane, old man?" she asked before he had a chance to say anything else.

"No, Jess," he replied seriously. "I'm not very fond of angels either. But at the same time, we need to know what's going on."

"We don't need to know this badly, Bobby."

She glanced over at Sam, who returned her look almost apologetically. He seemed just as uncomfortable as she did. She sorta waved her hand, suggesting he come sit at the table with her. She could only hope he understood what she wanted.

He walked over to the table and sat beside her, glancing at her with trepidation.

"I'm sorry," Sam said in hushed tones while Bobby and Dean were having a conversation between themselves. "I don't want this to happen either."

"I don't understand why Bobby would even go along with this. He was never terribly fond of Castiel, and that was before he betrayed everyone," she remarked quietly.

He reached his hand out, grasping hers tightly. "I think he's just afraid, Jessie. I think he's so afraid something will happen to you that he's willing to do whatever it takes."

She glanced down at her hand, which Sam was still holding tightly, then raised her eyes to gaze into his. "What about you?"

He looked uneasy for a few moments as he tried to figure out what she was asking.

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, Jessie. I just think Cas might make things worse."

She squeezed his hand tightly. "In case this all goes wrong, Sam. I want you to know something."

He shook his head, smiling brightly. "You don't have to tell me, Jessie. I already know."

"Your brother said something, didn't he?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"No, it wasn't him, and it wasn't that demon," he said, smiling mirthlessly. "It was you."

"What? When?" she asked with confusion.

He smiled, chuckling lightly. "You can be so cute sometimes."

She gave him a look that said she was clearly not amused.

He smiled. "You don't have to say the words. I know how you feel."

"And how is that exactly?"

"Your eyes give you away."

She felt her breath catch in her throat, then turned away as she felt heat rising to her face. She didn't want him to see her blush. She already felt vulnerable enough.

When she was ready to face him again, she turned just in time to hear Dean calling for Castiel. She jerked around, then stood up looking furious. She thought she would have lunged right at him, if Sam hadn't had a tight grip on her hand.

He stood up directly behind her, wrapping one hand around her back, holding her by the waist, while he held her other hand tightly, entwining his fingers with hers.

In normal circumstances, she might have felt awkward about him holding her the way he was. But at the moment she didn't care. She needed his support more than she cared about how it looked.

She stood silent as Dean was calling out for the angel, Castiel. But her facial expression was anything but silent. She was glaring furiously at both Dean and Bobby. If looks could kill, someone might have dropped dead at that moment.

It was quiet for a few moments, then suddenly there was a man standing in between Dean and Bobby, and Sam and Jessie. He was clad in a grey trenchcoat, white shirt and navy blue tie.

"Why have you summoned me here, Dean?"

"I was hoping you could help us out with something," he replied.

"What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

He looked like he was irritated by Castiel's attitude, but he seemed to hold his tongue.

"Can you tell us why Crowley is interested in them?" he asked, pointing to his brother and Jessie.

Castiel turned around with a curious look, took a few steps forward, stopping only feet away from Sam and Jessie.

"Nice to see you again, Sam," he said, then turned to Jessie with his hand stretched out in greeting. "We haven't met. I'm Castiel."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she managed to keep the majority of the anger from her voice as she spoke. "Yeah, I've heard of you."

He stood with his hand stretched out for a few more moments, before placing it back at his side, looking awkward.

Dean suddenly spoke, explaining everything to Cas, while Sam kept a tight hold on Jessie. She had settled down slightly, but she was still extremely irritated.

Once Dean had finished explaining what he knew, Cas turned to Sam and Jessie again, studying them up and down with sharp eyes.

Jessie suddenly felt inadequate under his scrutiny, making her lean even heavier against Sam.

"I'm not sure what Crowley is up to," Cas said abruptly. "But rest assured I will keep an eye out."

"You have _no_ idea?" Dean asked with frustration.

"That's what I said, Dean," he replied, turning to glance at him sideways. "It was nice to meet you, Jessie."

"Yeah, right," she replied.

She had wanted to say, '_I wish I could say the same_,' but somehow it wouldn't come out.

Cas gazed at Sam for a long moment, as if he was scrutinizing him, then turned to Dean and Bobby.

"I will be in touch."

Before anyone could say anything more, he disappeared instantly.

"Well that was anti-climactic," Jessie said sarcastically, as she slipped herself from Sam's hold.

"There you go, Dean. I told you he wouldn't know anything," Sam said shortly.

"Yeah, yeah, good for you. Sammy was right," Dean replied snidely.

"Enough! Both of you!" Bobby said harshly, glaring back and forth at the brothers. "Nothing is ever a waste of time when we're searching for an answer. All of you should know that by now."

His gaze stopped on Jessie, making her avert her eyes.

"I'm gonna need more coffee," she commented to no one in particular.

What she really wanted was a drink, but she couldn't justify drinking shortly after she had awakened, even if it was almost midafternoon.

"I'll go," Dean said quickly, running out the door before anyone could reply.

Bobby was about to say something, when his phone went off. He gave Sam and Jessie an impatient look as he dealt with the phone call.

**A/N: So, finally the air has been cleared about her feelings for Sam. How do you think everyone is going to deal with that? And what about Cas? Do you think it was smart to get him involved with whatever Crowley might be up to? We all know angels and demons don't mix.**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Jessie was sitting at the table while Bobby was still on his phone. He had begun the call by speaking loudly, but as the call went on, his voice had quieted considerably.

Sam had flitted around the room trying to make himself feel useful, although he felt out of place. He knew how Jessie felt about him, and he knew how he felt about her, but he realized he hadn't really told her, not in so many words. He was unsure whether he should make the words come out of his mouth, or if he should just continue to show her in more indirect ways.

He finally decided to sit at the table beside her, but he didn't force his attention on her. He wanted her to make the first move.

Jessie felt her heart skip a beat when Sam sat next to her. There were so many things she wanted to do, but she just didn't have the courage to. She laughed inwardly at the thought of being afraid of something so silly, when she'd gone up against some of the most truly terrifying creatures around.

He opened up his laptop, which had been left on to his favorite news and information site. He was clicking through some random stories, when Jessie grabbed his hand.

He looked at her with surprise, which made her laugh.

"You were clicking too fast," she said with a grin. "Didn't you see that mention about the animal shelter."

"No."

She released her grip on his hand, then pulled his laptop closer to her. She found the link and clicked on it, then positioned the computer so both of them could read the article at the same time.

When they were done reading, she turned to Sam and began to laugh.

"So they believe that there was some kind of theft ring involving the dogs, but they have no idea how it was orchestrated or who was involved," he said.

"Crack police work as usual," she said with a chuckle. "I just think it's hilarious they think there was one mastermind who was so multi-talented they killed all of the witnesses and was able to erase any and all proof so easily."

"You just like being called a mastermind," he teased with a grin. "Just admit it."

She chuckled. "No, that's not the funny part, Sam. I just think it's funny they weren't able to find anyone who could salvage the information on those hard drives."

"Now you're bragging again."

"Me, brag? No way," she replied with a laugh.

He laughed, then took on a more serious look. "How good are you, really?"

She raised her eyebrow, wondering what exactly he was asking. "I've hacked into some government computers and stuff like that, Sam. But I doubt I could get into something like the pentagon. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, really. I was just curious."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but she was still smiling. She thought there was more to his question, but she had no idea what it could be.

Dean came sweeping in while everything had been quiet. He placed a cup of coffee in front of both Jessie and his brother, then took a spot at the table beside his brother, drinking his own coffee.

"Has Bobby been on the phone all this time?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," his brother replied. "I have no idea who he's talking to."

As if he'd known they were speaking about him, Bobby walked up to the table, phone in hand.

"I gotta go out for a couple of hours to deal with something." He turned to Sam and Dean. "I want you boys to keep an eye on her." He pointed to Jessie, then his eyes fell on her. "And when I get back, I'll be bringing someone by to give you that tattoo."

"I don't need a babysitter, old man," she said crossing her arms in protest.

"Think of them as bodyguards then, I don't care," he said sternly. "But if they let you out of their sights, I'm gonna tear them a new one."

"She'll be fine, Bobby," Dean said confidently, before grinning at his brother teasingly. "I'm sure Sammy will keep more than an eye on her."

Everyone glared at Dean, but none as dangerously as Jessie.

Bobby stood in place for a moment, looking like he was going to say something, before he walked over to the bed and grabbed his dufflebag. He shuffled to the door, but turned to glance warningly at the brothers before walking out.

"I wonder what that's all about," Dean commented to no one in particular.

"I don't know, but I'll tell you what I don't need," Jessie said. "_Bodyguards_."

"You're right," Dean replied, causing shocked looks from both Jessie and his brother. "You don't need bodyguards. You need _a_ bodyguard."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

He chuckled as he got up from the table. "You heard Bobby, he said he'd be a few hours." He paused and looked at his brother." I'll be in my room, Sammy. Keep an _eye_ on her." He grinned mirthlessly, then ran out the door while laughing.

Sam glanced nervously at Jessie, who seemed to be just as nervous. He knew he had to make the best of this situation, since he didn't have an idea when he would have a chance to be alone with her again.

He turned his body around in the chair so he was almost facing her and took her hand in his. She seemed hesitant at first, but she didn't pull away.

As her gaze caught his eyes, she felt her breath catch in her throat again, only this time she didn't feel herself blushing.

"I realize that I never told you how I feel," Sam said as he squeezed her hand.

"That's really not necessary, Sam," she replied shyly. "I think you've made it pretty clear."

"Well, it can't hurt to tell you," he said as he leaned closer to her.

She was still for a moment, before she became uncomfortable and nearly jumped out of her seat. She turned her back to him, feeling desperate for somewhere to hide.

He got up from the table and walked up behind her. He was going to set his hand on her back, then decided against it.

"I'm sorry, Jessie," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

She was staring down at her feet trying to keep her composure, which was more difficult while he was standing so closely behind her.

"Jessie. Turn around, please," he pleaded gently.

She didn't want to, but she managed to turn around slowly, keeping her eyes on the floor.

He stepped closer to her, placing one hand on her hips, while he gently lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

She kept her eyes level with his, even after he removed his hand from her chin, placing it on her other hip.

"Is this what you and your brother do, Sam?" she asked shakily.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, just the grin and the 'keep an eye on her' remark before he left," she replied. "It seems like you and your brother do this kind of thing often."

He tried to hold back his laugh, but he couldn't help himself.

She glared at him looking insulted. "I'm glad you find this so amusing, Sam."

"I don't find it amusing, except in maybe some completely ironic way."

She stared blankly looking confused.

"Look, Jessie. I don't have any alterior motives here, except maybe to spend some time alone with you."

"I don't know, Sam," she replied hesitantly.

"It's not like we haven't been alone before. What's so different about this time?"

She sighed. "That was before all of this demon crap, Sam. We're probably playing right into their hand."

He snorted. "You seriously think they want us together for some reason?"

"The demon wasn't in your head, was it?" she asked with annoyance. "That's exactly what they want."

"It makes no sense to me. I'm sorry, Jessie."

"Well, maybe they want to separate you and Dean," she suggested half-heartedly.

"There's gotta be more to it than that. It seems a little too passive-aggressive for demons. Even for someone as sneaky and underhanded as Crowley."

She suddenly looked at Sam with a strange smile, making him raise a curious eyebrow.

"I'm perfectly fine being here with you as long as we're talking about hunting or some other trivial topic, but as soon as we stop, that's when I begin to feel terrified."

He released his grip on her hips, grabbing her hands instead. "If we're being honest—this is just as terrifying for me."

She stared at him with disbelief. "You've been to hell and this terrifies you?"

He shrugged lightly. "You know my track record with women. How could I not be?"

She quietly contemplated things for a short time, while Sam kept silent watching her encouragingly, patiently hoping she'd come to the right decision.

She smiled as she began to speak. "Your brother said something to me yesterday that kind of stuck with me." She watched as a curious expression crossed his face. "Well, I can't quote him verbatim, but basically, he said, I shouldn't let the threat of demons or anything else stop me from at least trying."

"And what about fear?"

"What about it, Sam?"

"Are you ready to ignore the fear and panic?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

She smiled. "There's only one way to find out."

"Oh?"

She released her hold on his hands, stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. She gazed up into his eyes with a bright and loving smile.

After his initial shock wore off, he lifted his hands to her face, leaned close and began to kiss her softly. It wasn't long before their kiss began to become more passionate, but Sam couldn't let it go too far. Not yet.

He pulled back, but kept his hands on her face. He gazed into her eyes, seeing no hesitation, but he had to know for sure.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Jessie?" he asked with concern.

She lifted her hands, laying them on top of his and smiled. "Yes, Sam. I'm positive."

He stood still for a moment, giving her a chance to pull his hands from her face. As she grasped one hand tightly, she pulled him towards the couch. As she got to the couch, she sat down while holding his hand.

He held her hand tightly, wanting desperately to sit beside her. As he gazed into her eyes, he knew for certain this was what she wanted. But was it what he really wanted?

He wanted her, there was no doubt about that in his mind. He was also sure that he loved her. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't help the doubts that had begun to surface. He knew if this happened, there would be no going back for either of them. He wasn't even concerned about himself, he was worried about Jessie. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was to hurt her.

He allowed her to pull him down onto the couch, never once shifting his gaze. But as she leaned closer to him, he raised his hand up to stop her.

"Are you absolutely sure, Jessie?" he asked quietly. "There's no going back after this."

"This is why I feel the way I do about you, Sam," she said smiling brightly. "You're still worried about me. But you don't have to be. I don't think I've been so sure about anything in a very long time."

He studied her face for a moment, smiling. "Then say it."

She looked confused for a moment, before realization washed over her face. She smiled lovingly, lifted her hand to his face, brushing his face lightly with her fingertips.

"I love you, Sam."

He smiled as the words were spoken aloud. As they washed over him, he felt something he hadn't felt in many years. He knew from this moment on, she would forever be etched in his heart.

"I love you too, Jessie."

All negative thoughts left her mind as the two of them embraced and began to kiss passionately.

Their bodies became entangled, passionately exploring each other's bodies with the gentle touch of their hands and lips. And when they finally became uncomfortable in the confines of the couch, Sam lifted her up in his arms, carrying her to the bed, laying her down gently, then laid down beside her.

Jessie hesitated for a moment when Sam began to kiss her once again, but it was only her ingrained instinct, which she overcame quickly after looking into his gentle and loving eyes.

He took his shirt off, then proceeded to take her shirt and pants off, before removing his pants as well. They kissed much more passionately, exploring each other carefully, slowly, neither in a rush.

Except for the unfortunate drunken incident with Dean, it had been almost nine years since she'd made love to anyone, and her boyfriend had been her first. She'd neglected to tell this to Sam because she was embarrassed by it, but now she wish she had. She was incredibly nervous, and it wasn't because she didn't want to go through with it, it was because she was afraid she didn't have enough experience. She did her best to push this to the back of her mind.

It was more than an hour later that Jessie was lying naked under the covers in Sam's arms, her head resting on his chest. She felt happy and content for the first time in as long as she could remember.

She was enjoying the warmth of his bare skin against hers, listening to the beating of his heart and the rhythm of his breathing wishing she would never have to move again. She wanted to stay in his arms and forget everyone and everything else that existed, but that wasn't reality. She did wish she could bask in her contentment for awhile longer, but she knew Bobby was going to be back soon and she was positive she didn't want him to find her like this.

After a few more minutes, she tried to remove herself from Sam's grip, but he pulled her to him and began to kiss her slowly and deeply. She gave in for a few moments, then broke away with a grin.

"Bobby's gonna be back soon, Sam. I'd like to jump in the shower before he gets here."

He brushed a few stray hairs from her face, smiling happily. "Can I join you?"

She chuckled lightly. "And would I be able to get clean that way?"

He grinned seductively. "No, but it would be more fun."

She shook her head with a grin. "_Only_, if you promise to behave yourself."

"I can't make any promises, sorry," he said with a conspiratorial grin.

She rolled her eyes with a smile, then climbed out of the bed and began to pick up her clothes, heading into the bathroom before he could distract her again.

Sam climbed out of the bed and did the same, following her into the bathroom a minute later.

After hopping into the shower, he took hold of her, gently pushing her against the wall of the shower and began to kiss her passionately. Despite her earlier warning to him, she couldn't resist kissing him back, if only for a few moments. Eventually, she broke free, managing to clean herself and get out before he could tempt her again.

She was busily drying her hair when he finally stepped out of the shower. She had to avert her eyes in the mirror to keep from glimpsing his glistening, naked body. It was too distracting and she needed to stop being distracted, and he was being no help whatsoever.

He quickly got dressed and left the bathroom while she was still drying her hair. She was relieved, but at the same time disappointed. It had been so long since she'd really been with someone and she really missed it.

As she stopped to analyze things for a moment, she knew she shouldn't be rushing things so quickly. She wasn't even sure how things were gonna work between them. She had to tell herself to quit analyzing everything or she was going to miss out on life. It really shouldn't matter how it was going to work out, they had lots of time to figure things out, there wasn't really a rush, except for the threat of death on an almost daily basis. But that was nothing new for them, they were hunters and that was a hunter's life.

Once her hair was dry, she put it up in a ponytail to keep it out of her face, tidied up the mess she'd made, then left the bathroom. She was surprised—though she wasn't sure why—that Dean was sitting at the table with Sam, smirking. She had to avert her eyes to keep herself from blushing.

She felt like all eyes were on her while she was busily cleaning up the room and putting her stuff away in her duffelbag, but before she could turn around to see if she was right, there was a knock at the door.

Dean jumped up from the table and answered the door. It was only Bobby and the man he said he would be bringing back with him. Bobby immediately kicked the Winchesters out of the room, then salted the door.

It took her some time to decide where she wanted the tattoo, but she eventually decided on the same spot Sam and Dean had theirs. She hadn't wanted it anywhere that was normally visible, but that only left her back and her behind and neither of those spots appealed to her.

It took a lot less time to complete then she'd figured and hurt a little more than she had assumed it would have, not that she would ever admit it to anyone. She was able to deal with it by having a few drinks.

After the man left, Bobby watched her with a curious look, but kept silent. Jessie was unsure if she was imagining things or if she was just being paranoid, but she wasn't about to stick her foot in her mouth, so she decided to take a different approach.

"So, where did you go anyway, Bobby?"

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I had to bail that idjit, Garth, out of a problem."

She laughed lightly. "I don't know how that man is still alive."

"When you figure it out let me know."

"Yeah, right."

He gazed at her pensively for a few moments, making her squirm inside like she'd done something wrong.

"I think we need to have a talk again, Jess."

"Bobby—"

He looked at her sternly, making her close her mouth quickly.

"I know you're not gonna talk about it, and I'm not sure I wanna talk about it," he began awkwardly," But I'm not clueless and I'm pretty damn sure I know what you were up to while I was gone." She felt her stomach churning nervously. "But, you're a big girl, Jess and I'm not your father. I just want you to promise me you'll be careful."

"This is about, Sam?"

He shook his head. "Not just him, but the demons too. I don't know what's going on yet, but it can't be good."

"I promise I'll be careful—on both fronts," she replied awkwardly. "And, Bobby—thank you."

He shook his head then stood up. "I'm heading out in a few. I trust you can find your way to my house."

She scoffed at him, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure I can."

"Make sure you travel with them boys," he warned while pointing a finger at her. "And no detours."

"I need to stop at home," she replied tersely.

"Then the boys go with you. No arguments."

She sighed with annoyance but didn't argue with him. She knew which battles she could win, and this wasn't going to be one of them. And although she had wanted to go home alone so she could have some space, she wasn't terribly disappointed that Sam would be with her. She only wished Dean didn't have to follow along as well.

She watched Bobby leave, then began to gather up her belongings. She was almost packed when Sam strolled in, smiling.

"Hey," he said with a smile as he walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She turned around in his arms with a teasing smile. "What do you think you're doing, Sam?"

"What does it look like?" he said with a raise of his eyebrow.

She wrapped her arms around his back, smiling brightly. "It looks like you can't keep your hands off of me."

He leaned close to her ear and whispered. "I can't."

Her breathing quickened as he spoke. She turned her head slightly, placing her lips on his lightly, before kissing him deeply, her fingers digging into his back. He seemed as ready and eager, kissing her back with as much fervor as she had shown. They were so completely caught up in the moment, they didn't notice when Dean walked into the room until he cleared his throat very loudly.

"Enough with the PDA," he said mockingly.

Sam pulled away, glaring at his brother with irritation, while Jessie turned away looking embarrassed.

"Come on, Sammy. We got a car to load."

He rolled his eyes then walked out of the room, glaring at his brother as he walked past him.

"Bobby said you wanna stop at your house."

She wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement, but she could feel the awkwardness between them. She knew it was inevitable, but she had hoped it wouldn't have happened right away.

"Why? Is that a problem?"

He shrugged. "Not at all."

It seemed like he had something more he wanted to say, but she figured she didn't want to know what it could be. She decided to ignore him as she gathered the rest of her stuff in her arms and attempted to leave to pack up her car, but before she could leave, Dean grabbed her by the arm, looking at her seriously.

"I haven't seem Sam smile this much in a long time," he said quietly. "So, you need to do me a favor."

She sighed. "I'm not gonna hurt him, Dean."

He shook his head. "No, that's not what I was gonna say."

"Then what?" she asked impatiently.

"Promise not to get yourself killed, okay?"

It wasn't what she'd expected to hear and she was unsure what to say, so she only shook her head, then continued out to her car. She strolled to the back of the car to place her leftover bottle of whiskey in the trunk, when she noticed a large scratch on the paint.

"Sonofabitch!" she yelled angrily, kicking her bumper in frustration.

She noticed Dean standing at the doorway of the motel room glancing at her with concern. She only shook her head, rolled her eyes, then opened the trunk and set her whiskey inside, slamming it closed when she was done. She noticed him standing on the other side after it had closed.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She pointed to the trunk with a sour look. "That damn demon must of done that!"

He tried keeping a serious look but he couldn't help but smile.

"It's not that big of a deal. I can help you fix it up if you'd like."

She narrowed her eyes looking dangerous. "I'm quite capable of looking after my girl all by myself, thank you."

"Dude, calm down. I was only offering to help."

She tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

She shook her head with a grin, then threw her dufflebag and laptop into the backseat. "Don't call me, _dude_. Not if you value your life."

He looked at her with surprise, which made her grin. She wanted to laugh, but Sam walked outside, instantly distracting her. She had to shift her gaze to keep herself from blushing.

"You finally ready, princess?" Dean asked his brother.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, let's go."

Jessie jumped in her car and was backing out before they were even in the Impala. She laughed to herself then peeled out of the parking lot, her tires squealing, challenging Dean to keep up with her.

She was actually feeling happy for the first time in a very long time. And now that she was out of the motel room, she felt invigorated and free. She rolled the windows half way down to enjoy the fresh air of early May, cranked up the volume on the radio and began to sing along with it, losing herself in the music.

It was dark outside by the time she pulled up to her house. She didn't see any headlights behind her, which meant she'd beat Dean there as she imagined she would have. She grinned at the thought.

After retrieving her purse and dufflebag from the backseat, she was about to get out when she felt a cold shiver run down her back. She wasn't sure if it was paranoia or instinct, but that didn't matter. She reached for the gun she kept under the front seat, before realizing it was still loaded with silver bullets and would be useless if there was a demon around. Either way, she decided she felt better with it in her hands, silver bullets or not.

She grabbed a hold of her purse and bag in one hand, the gun in the other as she climbed out of her car, slamming the door quickly behind her. She listening carefully as she walked briskly to her front door, unlocking the door as quickly as she could. Once she was inside, she felt immediately better. She knew she was safe from demons inside the house, her grandfather had made sure of that when the house was built.

She threw her dufflebag down on the couch haphazardly, set her gun carefully down on the table beside the couch, then grabbed her phone from her purse. She texted Bobby, letting him know she intended on spending one night in her own bed and that she would be over the next day. His response wasn't a pleasant one, but he hadn't insisted on her heading straight to his house, so it didn't matter. She had won.

After kicking off her shoes, she went into her computer room to check on something she couldn't do with the Winchesters around. It only took a minute of her time, so she went into the kitchen a grabbed beer while she waited for them to show up.

She felt strange being in her home for the first time in many years. The silence and loneliness seemed much more apparent than it had in a long time. She headed back into the livingroom, turning the TV on just so she had some background noise.

She was about to sit down and wait, when her phone went off, letting her know she had a new text. She had to look around to remember where she'd placed it.

The text was from Sam. She smiled involuntarily as she read his name, making her face feel flush.

'_Dean got pulled over for speeding. We're on our way again, but we're behind about 20 minutes. See ya soon. Sam_.'

She laughed, knowing Dean would be pissed, then set her beer down and went up to her bedroom to get changed. She felt better now that she knew why they'd been detained.

It took her a few minutes to decide what to wear, but in the end she decided on something nice, but casual. She chose a gray dress that fell to her knees and a black belt. It was low cut and snug, so she could show off her breasts, while the skirt part was loose to hide the fact she had very little in the way of hips. She liked the simple look of it and it was comfortable, without looking like she was really dressing up, which is what she wanted. She didn't need to impress Sam, and honestly she didn't care what he thought of her look. She was who she was and she wouldn't change for anyone. Not even for him.

Once she was fully dressed, she went downstairs to sit on the couch and finish her beer while she waited for the boys to arrive. She watched the TV while waiting, but she wasn't really paying attention, she had too many thoughts and feelings running through her head.

Between how she was feeling about Sam, and the mysterious motivations behind the demon possession, she was struggling to keep anything straight in her head. She had to hope it was only momentary, because she was certain she wouldn't be able to hunt anything while her mind was all over the place.

She had drank the last of her beer when Sam, followed by Dean, walked into the house. She was amused by the sour look on Dean's face, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of Sam.

"You shouldn't leave your door unlocked like that," Sam said with concern. "Anyone could just walk in."

"Anyone just did," she replied teasingly.

He smiled, while his brother continued to wear a sour look.

"Why don't you grab a beer," she suggested. "Or do you wanna wait until later?"

Sam looked at her strangely. "Why? What's later?"

She stood up, walking around the couch to where he was standing.

"We're going out," she replied tersely.

"Oh."

"Where the hell do you wanna go?" Dean asked with irritation.

"Frank's bar, where else?"

"Oh, you wanna go see your friend, _Mike_, is that it?" he asked while shooting a teasing look at his brother.

She stared at him stone faced for a moment before replying.

"No. I just think you need to get laid, Dean. You've been awfully bitchy."

Sam started to howl with laughter. Jessie's straight face and Dean's look of utter susprise made it much more hilarious than it really was.

Dean had no idea how to respond, so he walked into the kitchen.

Once Sam had stopped laughing, he reached out for Jessie, pulling her close, kissing her softly.

"I missed you," he said quietly.

She smiled. "You'd think we'd been apart for weeks or something."

His brow began to furrow, unsure what to think of her response.

"What exactly does that mean?"

She sighed, rolling her eyes slightly as she said his name. "I'm sorry but this is all new to me."

"And it's not for me?" he asked feeling slightly hurt.

"I haven't spent a lot of time in the company of others for years. And now, there isn't just Sam and Jessie, there's an _us_. I'm a little overwhelmed at the moment."

"I'm sorry. I should have realized you might be feeling that way."

She sighed and shook her head, before smiling lightly. "You're not a mind reader, Sam. And I don't expect you to be. I just think we need to be as open and honest with each other as we can so we don't have any misunderstandings."

He smiled. "I think that's the best idea I've heard in awhile."

He leaned over to kiss her once again, but Dean walked in the room loudly startling both of them.

"When are we going out?" he asked sourly.

She stifled a snicker. "Whenever you wanna leave, Dean."

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion of her answer, but he wasn't in a bad enough mood to argue with her at the moment.

"I'm hungry."

"Nothing new there," she mumbled.

Sam smiled. "I guess we better go, huh?"

She nodded her head then grabbed his hand, leading him to the front door.

"Let's go, Dean. So I can lock the house up."

He fished his keys from his pocket then left the house quickly so he didn't have to watch his brother and Jessie any longer. He was beginning to regret giving his brother his blessing. Although he was pleased that Sam was happy, it made him realize how unhappy and lonely he was. All he could do was think of Lisa and what he had to give up to keep her safe. He could only hope that one day he could find a woman who could make him as happy as his brother seemed to be at that moment.

**A/N: So Jessie and Sam finally had their moment, but do you think it will be easy for them to stay together? And what about Dean? Do you think he's really okay with all of it? And also, I'm sorry it was a longer chapter. I should have cut it short but I couldn't find the best spot to stop it lol.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

When they arrived at Frank's bar, Dean was the first one out of the car and into the building, before Sam or Jessie even had a chance to get out of the car. Jessie passed Sam a questioning look as she got out of the car, waiting for him to climb out of the backseat.

"Is he really that pissed about the speeding ticket, Sam?"

He shrugged his shoulders after slamming the car door shut. "I don't know, but I think it's something else."

"It's not me, is it?"

"No, I don't think so," he replied truthfully. "But, maybe you were right earlier." She looked at him curiously. "I think he just needs to get laid."

She chuckled, then stopped, smiling brightly. "Well, it did do wonders for my attitude."

He smiled at her response, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her lightly.

"If we stay out here too long he'll be pissed at us."

She sighed, breaking free of his loosening grip and began to walk towards the doors, with Sam close behind her. She was walking so briskly, he had to take longer strides to catch up to her as she walked inside.

"Are you mad or something?" he asked as he grasped her by the wrist just inside the doors.

"No, why?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He shrugged his shoulders.

She smiled softly, fixing her eyes on him. "Not at all. I'm just irritated by your brother."

He took her by the hand, leading her past the entranceway. They glanced around the room quickly, glimpsing Dean talking to a woman at the bar.

"Wow! He's fast," she commented with a grin.

"Yeah. We might as well just find a table without him."

She nodded then walked over to an empty table close to the bar where Dean was, sitting down while simultaneously scanning the room.

Sam sat down beside her, quietly observing her. He wasn't sure, but she seemed to be acting a little distant, though he thought it might also be his imagination.

It was only a minute before a waitress showed up at the table to take their drink order. Jessie didn't know this particular waitress, but she was happy it was anyone but Betsy. She wasn't in the mood to deal with her tonight.

She continued to look around the room while waiting for their drinks, making Sam feel ignored. He didn't want to feel that way, but he found it difficult not to. He wasn't sure if she was just looking for someone, or if she was feeling uncomfortable being with him in public. He had said he would never force his attention on her, so he wouldn't push her, no matter how he felt.

After their drinks arrived, they ordered something to eat, then fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"I'm sorry, Sam," she said, turning to face him a minute later. "I didn't mean to ignore you. I was looking for Mike."

He felt a tinge of jealousy as she mentioned his name, but he pushed it out of his mind.

"I wanted to find out how Tom is doing," she said sadly.

"Oh," he replied with surprise. "It's fine."

He suddenly felt guilty for being momentarily jealous.

She smiled, placing her hand on his, which was lying on the table.

"You weren't jealous, were you?" she teased.

"Of course not," he replied quickly.

She took a sip of her drink, then smiled at him brightly.

"I'm all yours now."

He smiled back, turning his hand over in hers so he could entwine his fingers in hers.

They made small talk while they waited for their food, staying away from the topic of hunting. While she didn't mind speaking about her hunts, she didn't really find much pleasure in it. She was glad that Sam felt pretty much the same way, preferring not to speak about hunting either.

A few people who Jessie knew came to the table to talk occassionally, but none of them stayed too long. She knew they were just curious about Sam, since it had been years since they'd seen her with anyone. She rolled her eyes after each of them walked away, knowing that she would probably be the topic of discussion around town for awhile. She did smile about the thought of it though. She knew how hot Sam was and she was sure that would be mentioned at some point. For once she would be the envy of the town, instead of the poor orphan girl whose family were murdered.

"So, are you gonna be singing tonight?" he asked while they were eating.

"Why, did you want me to?" she asked with a smile.

He smiled back. "I wouldn't mind hearing you sing."

"That's a very diplomatic way of saying, yes," she replied suspiciously.

His grin grew wider. "Fine. I want to hear you sing. You have a beautiful voice. But that's what you wanted to hear, isn't it?"

She laughed lightly. "No, I wasn't fishing for a compliment. I was just wondering why you wouldn't just come out and say yes, if that's what you wanted."

He shrugged his shoulders, making a strange half smile that Jessie always found endearing.

"The only problem is, it's not Tuesday."

He snorted quietly. "Thank God for that."

She looked at him questioningly, raising an eyebrow.

He laughed lightly. "Sorry. I just don't like Tuesdays much."

"Most people don't like Mondays and for good reason, but you hate Tuesdays. Why is that?" she asked curiously.

"Ah, it's a long story. Remind me to tell you another time."

"Well now you've really piqued my curiosity," she replied with a grin as she leaned closer to him.

"It's really not that interesting."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Fine. If you don't want to tell me."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you..."

She began to chuckle lightly. "You do know I'm only teasing you, right?"

"I knew that," he replied with a grin.

She chuckled lightly then went back to eating.

Sam decided to tell her the story of the Tuesday that wouldn't end, even though they'd agreed not to speak about hunting. It wasn't one of the stories he enjoyed to tell, but he felt much less awkward when he was busy speaking.

Jessie was fascinated by Sam's story, but she was having trouble listening because she was distracted. She'd glimpsed Mike a few times around the room, and it seemed like he'd seen her, but she wasn't sure why he wouldn't come over and speak to her. If she hadn't known him for so long, she might not have worried so much about it, but for some reason she felt there was something wrong.

When she noticed him walk close by and not even cast a glance in her direction—even after she called his name—she excused herself from the table, following him behind the bar and into the back where the kitchen was.

After a few curious glances from some of the employees, she continued to follow him further into the back. She called his name as he opened a door that led outside to the back of the bar. He ignored her, walking out the door.

She stopped where she was for a moment, wondering if she should follow him. She wasn't sure why, but her intuition was telling her not to follow him. But after some careful thought, she decided it was probably her overactive imagination. She'd been unusually paranoid since she'd been possessed.

She stepped through the doorway, the door slamming quickly behind her. She was standing outside in a small fenced in area where the dumpster for the restaurant was kept. Thankfully it was almost empty, the smell was very minimal.

Mike was standing to one side of the dumpster, his back was to her and his head was slumped down. She wasn't sure what to make of it so she called his name, hoping he would answer this time.

He turned around, his eyes fixed on hers, looking sullen.

"Hi, Jess."

"What's going on, Mike?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, why?"

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

"You're always so damn intuitive. Why don't you figure it out for yourself?"

She felt insulted by the tone of his voice, and was clearly confused by it. He'd never behaved like this in all the time she'd ever known him.

"Why don't you just tell me what your problem is?"

She wasn't sure why, but suddenly she felt a cold shiver run down her back making her shudder visibly. She began to take a step backwards when she noticed there was no light reflecting in his eyes. Then after a second glimpse, she realized his eyes were black.

"What do you want?" she asked the demon as she continued to step backwards.

"I just want you to stay here and out of trouble," it replied with a malicious grin.

She kept her eyes fixed on the demon as she tried to wrench the door open. It laughed at her feeble attempt.

"The door locks from the inside."

She reached down to search her pockets for a lock pick, when she realized she was wearing a dress.

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath, as she turned around and began to pound on the door.

The demon walked up behind her laughing.

"I wouldn't worry about what's going on inside, Jessie," it said coldly. "You're safe as long as you stay here with me."

She turned around quickly, glaring at the demon.

"Safe, with you?" she replied with an ironic laugh. "You might as well cut me and throw me into a tank full of hungry sharks."

It smiled in amusement. "If I wasn't under strict orders to keep you safe, I might consider doing just that."

"What does your boss want with me?"

It laughed sardonically. "Do you really think he would let his low level flunkies know his plans?"

"If you don't want to hurt me then why are you here?" she asked quickly, hoping to keep it talking while she was trying to think of a way out of there.

"We're here to kill Dean Winchester."

She swallowed hard. "You demons have been trying for years and never succeeded. What makes you think tonight will be any different?"

It cackled. "Well for one, their guard was down. And second, Sam is too distracted trying to find out what's happened to you, that he's completely forgotten about his own brother."

She looked at the demon sadly, then averted her eyes as if she was too upset to look at it. What she was hoping to do was catch it off guard so she could escape. Her plan was reckless, but it was all she had.

She waited until the demon was looking away, then made a dash for the fence to her left, kicking her shoes off as she did so. There was a cross piece in the fence that she managed to climb on, then jumped over the fence where the board was short because it had been broken off, landing roughly, but safely. She was glad she hadn't attempted that particular landing with heels on.

She didn't hesitate one moment, instantly heading for the Impala, not once looking back to see if the demon had managed to jump the fence as well.

When she arrived at the Impala, she remembered she had a few pins in her hair, so she took one out and began to pick the lock to the trunk. It took a few moments longer than it should have, but her hands wouldn't stop shaking, no matter how hard she tried to steady them.

Once she got the trunk opened, she grabbed the nearest shotgun, loaded it with salt rounds, then grabbed extra bullets and a flask of holy water, cursing loudly as she remembered once again she had no pockets. She swore to herself at that moment she wasn't ever wearing something without pockets again.

As she ran around the building it was a scene of chaos. People were running screaming from the building in several directions, and when they noticed the shotgun in Jessie's hand, they steered clear of her too.

She kicked the front door open and was nearly bowled over by the remaining escaping patrons. She managed to stay on her feet by pushing herself up against the wall.

When it was clear, she ran into the main room with gun raised. She immediately noticed Sam lying on the floor, a scarlet wound on the side of his head. He seemed to be fine, although he was unconcious, so she turned her attention to the two demons who were with Dean.

One of the demons had him by the throat, so she shot it in the back, then shot the other one in quick succession. The one holding Dean dropped him to the ground unceremoniously, nearly falling on it's side, while the other demon, who was wearing Mike's meatsuit, flew forwards from the force of the gun blast, slamming into the wall.

Dean managed to scramble away from the immediate reach of the demons as Jessie reloaded the gun and once again shot both of them in quick succession. Then as Dean began to chant an exorcism in latin, she doused the demons with holy water to keep them in pain and unable to attack again.

Before Dean was able to finish the exorcism, the bodies the demons were inhabiting looked skywards, opened their mouths, expelling black smoke that left through a broken window.

Jessie ran for Sam as soon as she was positive the demons were gone, kneeling down beside him and checked his pulse. It was as strong as ever and so was his breathing, which left her feeling relieved.

Dean hobbled up behind her, setting a hand on her shoulder.

"He okay?"

"Yes, but I think we better get the hell outta here before the cops show up."

Dean bent down and shook his brother while calling his name. It took a minute, but Sam finally came to and was able to get back to the car with some assitance from his brother. Meanwhile, Jessie checked on Mike, who was splayed on the floor of the bar. After a very quick—but thorough—examination, she found that he seemed fine, or would be at some point. She couldn't stick around for the cops to arrive.

She ran out to the Impala, which Dean had pulled up to the front doors to wait, and jumped in the front seat. She'd barely closed the door when Dean floored it, squealing the tires as they spun trying to grip the road.

She turned around in her seat to check on Sam, who was lying in the backseat. He had his eyes closed, but she could tell he was okay. She decided not to disturb him for the moment, turning around in the seat properly.

"Are you okay, Dean?"

"Let's see. I just got my ass handed to me by a demon," he snapped. "Yeah, I'm just great."

She didn't want to snap at him, but somehow she couldn't help herself.

"You're alive, Dean, so stop whining."

"And so are you I see. Where were you anyway?" he asked in an accusatory tone.

She turned to glare at him. "I had to jump a fence in a damn dress to get away from a demon, Dean. You're just pissed because I was the one that had to save your ass."

He shot her a sideways glance but said nothing.

She was going to snap at him, tell him how worried she was about Mike, but she decided not to say anything at all. They were both on edge, and she was sure he was worried about his brother just as much as she was.

There was almost complete silence in the car during the ride back to Jessie's house. The only sounds that could be heard were the roar of the engine and the occasional moan from the backseat.

Jessie helped Sam into the house, easing him onto the couch carefully. He was giving her a look that said she was being a little too protective and that he could take care of himself, but even if he had said something she wouldn't have listened to him.

She brought him an ice pack for his head, then sat on the couch with a bottle of beer.

"How's your head?" she asked.

He smiled, but she noticed he winced as he did so.

"It's beginning to feel better."

"Do you want a beer?"

He nodded his head, wincing as he did so.

"What happened to your leg?" he asked her as she stood up.

She glanced down at her leg noticing a large scratch from her ankle up to her knee.

"I guess I scratched myself," she replied with a shrug.

His eyes followed her as she left the room, then followed her as she sat down beside him, handing him a beer. He took the offered beer and took a swig before saying anything.

"How did it happen?"

She looked at him scrutinizingly, wondering about the motivation behind the question.

"I didn't even notice it until you said something, Sam. I musta done it when I jumped the fence."

He raised an eyebrow in wonderment.

"You jumped a fence wearing a dress and heels?"

She laughed lightly. "No, I'm afraid I'm not _that_ good. I had to ditch the heels."

"Fashion is a killer, isn't it?" he said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Either you're feeling better, or you've got brain damage, 'cause you're making bad jokes like Dean."

"I don't tell bad jokes," Dean said as he walked into the livingroom carrying a beer. "You just don't have a good sense of humor."

Jessie laughed but she felt very uncomfortable with their whole situation. She had no idea what to think of the demon attack, and even less about the dynamics between the brothers. She'd been with them on and off for awhile now, but this was a new development. She was seriously pondering what a mistake she was making by being with Sam.

"You know the cops will probably stop by here at some point," she announced to no one in particular. "You should probably let me do most of the talking."

"Are you trying to say I don't know how to deal with the cops?" Dean asked.

She opened her mouth to respond, but Sam beat her to it.

"Shut up, Dean. That's not what she meant and you know it."

"I can fight my own battles, Sam," she replied sternly as she slammed her beer bottle on the coffee table and stood up. "I'll be in the computer room if you need me."

Before either of the brothers could respond, she swept from the room and slammed the computer room door behind her.

"What the hell was that all about?"

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "You can really be dense sometimes, Dean."

He snorted. "Then why don't you tell me what's bothering her?"

"Where should I begin?" he asked sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes then sat down on the couch. "I was the one they were trying to kill. If anyone should be in a mood it's me."

"Since when is this a contest, Dean?"

"What are you accusing me of?"

He sighed. "Nothing, Dean. But you seem to forget that Jessie still feels like an outsider when she's with us. And on top of it, she has no idea what demons want with her. _And_, her friend, Mike, was possessed tonight. So, do you think you could understand why she might be upset?"

"Yeah, I see your point," he replied. "Maybe I should go and apologize to her."

"No, don't do that. I think she needs some time to herself."

"Whatever," he replied as he stood up. "I'm gonna go upstairs and lay down."

Sam watched as his brother stomped upstairs, sighing deeply. He wanted to see how Jessie was, but what he really needed was to lay down. He closed his eyes lightly, laid his head back against the couch, drifting off to sleep quickly.

Jessie had escaped to her computer room to take refuge from the uncomfortable situation in the livingroom, but after she sat in front of her computer for several minutes just staring at her desktop, she realized she had something she needed to do.

She had forgotten about the security cameras that were at the bar, so she needed to hack into their system and delete everything before the police had a chance to watch it. She wasn't sure how she would be able to explain shooting Mike to the police.

She was able to hack into the system and destroy the files enough that they would look damaged, not erased completely. She could only hope that she'd done the job thoroughly, in her haste to make sure it was done before the police could access the files.

It wasn't long afterwards that she heard a knock at her door. Using the security camera, she saw that it was the cops. She felt better when she saw it was one of the cops she knew pretty well. She was completely confident she would be able to feed him a story he would buy.

She smiled lightly as she walked into the livingroom and saw Sam sleeping while he was sitting up, then hurriedly answered the door so the noise wouldn't wake him.

"Hello, Hank," she said as she stepped outside, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Good evening, Jessie," the man greeted her. "I'm sorry to bother you so late."

"It's okay."

He began to explain what he had gathered about the events at the bar that night. All she did was listen carefully, then fill in the blanks where ever she could. And just like she'd imagined, she was able to explain things away so that he believed it was the only possible thing that could have happened. Although she would have been happier if she hadn't had to lie to him, she did manage to find out that Mike was okay and was recovering in hospital.

Once Hank left, she went back into the house but was unsure what to do. She needed to unwind but Sam was asleep on the couch and she didn't want to turn the TV on and wake him. She was too wound up to sleep, although she knew she needed it, and she was too distressed to sit in front of her computer.

After a few moments thought, she went upstairs to clean up and change her clothes, getting into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. She hadn't really thought beyond that, but while her mind was idle, an idea had crept into her head and it wouldn't leave. And as she was prone to, sometimes she had little impulse control, reacting without thinking.

She was quiet as she grabbed her keys and ran out the door without another thought. It wasn't until she was halfway to the hospital that she realized she didn't even have her phone, she'd left it home with her purse. She wasn't in the mood to turn around, so she decided not to worry about it. Besides, she wasn't planning on being out too late.

When she got to the hospital, she went in search of a good friend of hers who was a nurse so she could get in to visit Mike, although visiting hours were long over. She realized now how stupid it was to drive there on an impulse, because if she couldn't find her friend, she wouldn't even be allowed in.

She managed to find her friend, who snuck her up to Mike's room. His eyes were closed as she entered his room, so she sat down in the chair beside him. She knew he was going to be fine, but it didn't help assuage her guilt.

She sat beside him for a short time just listening to his breathing, her mind wandering to events of the past. She was so engrossed in her thoughts she almost didn't realize when he opened his eyes and called her name in a hoarse whisper.

She moved her chair closer to his bed then took his hand, which he'd reached out towards her.

"I am so sorry, Mike," she apologized quietly.

He looked at her with confusion. "Why are you sorry?"

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because you were possessed by a demon and I shot you."

"I don't blame you for that."

"How could you not?"

He squeezed her hand lightly. "Everything is not your fault, Jessie."

"Then what did it want with you? You can't tell me it didn't have anything to do with me."

He sighed. "Okay, I can't say that. But you didn't ask it to possess me."

"What did it want exactly?"

His gaze shifted uncomfortably. "You don't really wanna know."

"Mike, please," she begged. "You've never been anything but straight with me."

He was quiet for a few moments while he pondered his answer.

"You need to get away from the Winchesters."

It was her this time that averted her eyes. "I can't do that, Mike."

He studied her face for a moment before he flashed a look of understanding.

"You're in love with that Sam guy, aren't you?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah."

"Does he make you happy?"

"Yes," she replied with a smile.

He smiled brightly. "I'm glad. It's about time you were happy for a change."

Her smile quickly faded as she thought about the demon.

"Why did you want me away from them, Mike? What do the demons want?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "All I know is they wanted to make sure you and Sam were safe and they wanted to kill his brother, Dean."

She eyed him warily. "Are you sure you aren't keeping something from me?"

"Why would I? What would I have to gain, Jess? You know I care about you and I've never lied to you, ever."

She wanted to believe him, but she knew him very well. They'd been friends for a very long time and shared a lot with each other. She was positive he was keeping something from her, but she wasn't sure if she should press him.

"I think it's time for me to go now, Mike. You need your rest."

As she made to release her hand from his, he tightened his grip and pulled her towards him.

"Wait," he said sitting up the best he could, grimacing in pain.

He whispered something in her ear, then released his grip on her hand and laid back in the bed.

She gazed at him with utter shock and disbelief, then stood up. She turned to walk away then turned back.

"Feel better soon, Mike."

"You take care of yourself—and keep in touch."

She nodded her head then quickly, but quietly, left the hospital and headed back home.

**A/N: The demons seem to be following them, don't they? What could be up? Do you think the boys will notice she's left the house, alone? What about the secret Mike whispered in her ear? Do you think it's the answer to what Crowley wants?**

**Okay, I may not be able to update for awhile because im having very serious computer problems. I managed to save my stories on disc, so if it craps out completely, I'll still be able to post what I do have written, which is only one full chapter and a half of one so far, but not sure when I would update after that. Now im hoping it wont come to that, im hoping to fix it, but just in case...**

**Thanks for reading! **


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The entire drive home, Jessie could only think about what Mike had whispered in her ear. She was almost completely sure that what he'd said was nonsense, but she knew that one could never dismiss anything totally when it came to dealing with demons. What she did know was, if what he said was true, she knew it would be best to get away from Sam now before it was too late. But she didn't think she even had the willpower to do that, regardless of the consequences. So she did what she thought she should do with Mike's information, keep it to herself, at least for now.

She noticed lights on in the house as she approached, hesitating as she pulled the car into its spot. She was exhausted now and had been hoping to go straight to bed when she got home, but now she knew that wasn't going to happen.

She sighed deeply as she turned the doorknob and walked into the house to see Dean standing by the couch with his arms crossed, staring at her angrily.

"Where the hell have you been?"

She narrowed her eyes angrily. "Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that?"

"Are you that selfish or are you really that stupid?" he scoffed.

"What are you talking about?"

"What did you think you were doing taking off on your own, leaving your phone and purse here?"

"I forgot them!" she exclaimed her voice steadily rising.

"And you didn't think that if Sam noticed you were gone, but your stuff wasn't, he would think something happened to you? Did you even think about him when you took off?"

She hadn't thought about it at the time, but she had later on. She felt guilty enough without Dean calling attention to her thoughtlessness.

"I wasn't thinking at the time, Dean," she replied lowering her voice slightly.

"Obviously not! Where did you go that was so important?"

She grasped her keys tightly in her hand, resisting the urge to throw them at him.

"You know what, Dean? I did fine on my own for years without you or your brother," she scanned the room quickly. "And now I'm tired, so I'm going to bed."

She turned to walk towards the stairs, but Dean stepped in her way.

"What? You aren't even gonna wait until Sam is back so you can explain things to him?"

"Where is he?" she asked quickly.

"He jumped in my car and took off after you, without my permission I might add."

She resisted an urge to grin, although it was difficult.

"I'll call him and let him know I'm fine."

"I already did when I saw your headlights coming up the driveway."

"Good. Then get out of my way," she replied as she stepped closer to him.

He gave her an impatient look but moved out of her way.

"Send him up to my room when he gets back," she said glancing at him sideways. "If I'm asleep he can wake me up." She didn't stop to listen for a reply, heading upstairs quickly.

She was exhausted, which she quickly realized she had been all along, but didn't notice until she'd left Mike's room. She'd been too wound up to settle down, but now she just wanted to climb under her blanket, lie her head on her pillow and drift off into a quiet oblivion. However, she knew it wasn't going to be as easy as that now. She was upset by her guilt and she needed to apologize to Sam.

She changed into a comfy pair of pajamas then climbed under her covers, falling asleep almost the instant her head hit the pillow, despite all of her guilt.

She was awakened a short time later by someone calling her name gently. She hesitantly opened her eyes, the room was still dark but she could make out the very tall outline of a man.

"Sam?" she called hoarsely.

"Yeah, it's me," he replied in a whisper. "Dean said I could wake you up."

"Yeah...uh...yeah," she replied while half asleep, then leaned over and turned on her bedside lamp. She winced as the light shined in her eyes.

Sam hovered near the bed, until she patted the bed, indicating she wanted him to sit down. He sat down at the very edge, his face stoic.

"I'm sorry, Sam," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to make you worry. I wasn't thinking."

He sighed. "I don't want to make a big deal out of this, but, are you sure this is what you want? To be with me...and stuck with my brother?"

"Why would you ask me that, Sam?"

He shrugged his shoulders very slightly. "I'm sure you don't need us worrying every time you decide to go somewhere without us."

She raised an eyebrow curiously, then glanced at her watch. She'd been asleep for at least an hour. She had to imagine he had talked with his brother before he'd decided to wake her.

"If you're gonna say we shouldn't be together, then just come out and say it. Don't try to turn it around on me."

"That's not what I'm doing at all, Jessie."

"Right," she snorted. "You weren't about to say I would be safer if I wasn't with you?"

"No, actually I wasn't even thinking about that. It's just obvious that you find it a nuisance having us around."

"That's your brother talking, not you, Sam."

He looked away for a moment, before turning back to gaze into her eyes.

She noticed something had changed in his eyes, something she hadn't recognized before.

"You're scared, aren't you?" she asked as she took his hand.

"I was scared something happened to you. Is that so wrong?"

She frowned slightly, holding back tears. "No, it's not wrong, Sam. The only one in the wrong is me. I shouldn't have left like I did."

He squeezed her hand gently. "This is new for both of us. And as long as you're not having second thoughts—"

She tugged on his arm, pulling herself close and laid her head against his chest, closing her eyes, while he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

Before long, he was stroking her hair, which made Jessie relax even more. So much so, she almost dozed off. But she couldn't allow herself to do that. She wanted to take advantage of this alone time while she had the chance.

She pulled herself from his grip, gazing into his eyes, which looked soft and loving. She found herself unable to resist the urge to lean in and kiss him right at that moment.

She found his lips soft, inviting and just as enthusiastic as hers. Nothing mattered at that moment, as their lips explored each other's. It wasn't long before they were both naked, exploring each other's body. They took their time, slowly enjoying every kiss, every touch, every loving moment. Eventually falling asleep in each other's arms.

When Jessie woke up, she was cuddled up with Sam, her head on his chest. She smiled as she remembered the night before, then wished she didn't have to get out of bed. She decided not to move until she had to, she wasn't in any kind of hurry.

She listened to his breathing and the sound of his heartbeat for a short time, until she couldn't stay still any longer, because her arm had fallen asleep. She wiggled herself out from under Sam, waking him up.

Sam smiled as his eyes fell on Jessie's.

"Good morning," he grinned.

"Good morning," she replied, smiling brightly.

He pulled her close, trying to kiss her but she pulled away with a smile.

"Ewww, Sam. I have morning breath."

He chuckled. "So do I, so what?"

She rolled her eyes playfully then tried to roll away from him, but he grabbed her tightly, pulling her back towards him.

"Sam!" she cried.

He laughed lightly. "Can't I just hold you for a bit longer?"

"I would love to stay in your arms forever, Sam, but, at some point we need to eat, drink and...shower," she replied with a teasing grin.

"Yeah, I supposed you're right," he said then kissed her once lightly on the lips.

They managed to shower together with minimal distractions, but as they got dressed, Sam couldn't help trying to keep Jessie from getting her clothes fully on. She did manage to get him to keep his hands off her by threatening to bring out a stuffed clown she kept in her closet.

He balked at her threat, but he left the room quickly so she could get dressed in peace. His hasty departure made her laugh. It was even funnier because he had no idea how she'd found out about his clown phobia.

When she came downstairs, Dean was sitting on the couch watching the morning news. He glanced up at her quickly then went back to watching the TV. She wanted to say something to him, but she decided it would be best to get herself a cup of coffee first.

She smiled at Sam as she entered the kitchen, who was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in his hands. She poured herself a cup, took a sip then set it down on the table.

"I need to talk to your brother, _alone_," she said as she walked out of the room.

She walked into the livingroom slowly trying to decide if she should stand or sit, finally deciding on sitting beside him.

"Can we talk, Dean?"

He shot her a curious sideways glance.

"I wasn't aware we had anything we needed to discuss."

She rolled her eyes. "I shoulda known you wouldn't make this easy for me."

He turned in his seat slightly, wearing a strange expression.

"Look, Dean. All I wanted to do was apologize to you," she said, pausing for a moment. "I apologized to Sam last night, so I thought I should give you the same courtesy."

"Yeah, I heard you apologizing to Sam last night," he replied with a smirk. "You didn't need to do it so loudly."

Her face turned several shades of red as she turned away.

"Oh my God, Dean," she replied covering her face from embarrassment.

He chuckled.

Once she regained her composure, she turned back to Dean, who was wearing a wide grin.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about last night, Dean. I worried Sam and I worried you," she paused a moment, swallowing hard at what she was about to admit. "It was stupid and selfish of me to leave like I did."

The grin had left his face, replaced with one of surprise.

"Now don't get too excited," she said before he could respond. "I don't usually admit when I'm wrong—or apologize for that matter."

"I got that," he replied.

"And since we're forced to spend time in each other's company—well, I'm sorry."

He grinned smugly. "That wasn't so painful now was it?"

She snorted. "The only thing that's gonna be painful is your face after I punch you in it."

He laughed. "Ah, Jessie. Life with you will never be boring."

She wasn't sure if she should take it as an insult or a compliment, but she decided on the latter.

"I wish I could say the same about you," she said with a grin, then turned on her heel and went back into the kitchen to sit with Sam.

Sam smiled as she entered, taking her hand as she sat down beside him.

"I half expected to hear yelling at some point."

After Dean's remark about the night before, it was difficult for her to be anything but embarrassed.

"Nope. All's good."

The couple stole a few kisses before they finished their coffees and began to get ready to leave for Bobby's house.

Jessie did some house cleaning with Sam and Dean finished up the laundry, before packing their dufflebags.

"Why don't you come in the Impala with us?" Sam asked Jessie as they were about to leave.

She sighed deeply, trying to keep herself calm.

"Sam, we talked about this," she replied tersely.

"I just think it would be safer if you travelled with us."

She shook her head. "I'll be fine. There's nothing you can say that would make me give up my car. You might as well just ask Dean to give up the Impala."

"Hey! Leave me and baby outta this conversation," Dean yelled from across the room.

He rolled his eyes at his brother. "At least let me go with you then."

"With the demons wanting your brothers head, I think it would be best if you went with him."

"I'm a big boy, Jessie," Dean replied as he passed her, carrying his dufflebag. "If Sammy wants to go with you he's more than welcome to."

She shook her head, clearly annoyed. "Dean, can I speak with Sam _alone_, please?"

"I guess the honeymoon's over already," he mumbled with a grin, before shooting Sam a glance that said, '_good luck_', then threw his dufflebag over his shoulder sweeping from the room as quickly as he could.

"Jessie..."

"This is gonna be a very short relationship if you insist on treating me like a damsel in distress," she said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"That's not what I'm doing at all. I just want to spend more time with you."

She snorted. "You can try that excuse if you want to, but it's not gonna fly with me."

He threw his hands in the air outta frustration.

"I'm sorry, Jessie. I'm not trying to control you or treat you like you're helpless," he replied sincerely.

"Then why can't things be the way they were before? Live our lives separate—but together."

"That sounds utopian, but I'm not sure if that'll work."

She sighed lightly. "And why not?"

"Because I love you, that's why."

She didn't know if he said it to make her feel guilty or because it was exactly how he felt. Either way, it made her feel guilty.

"I'm an independant woman, Sam, always have been. So you're just gonna have to deal with it."

He nodded his head in understanding.

"All I can promise is that I'll try."

She smiled slightly. "I guess that's the best I can hope for."

He smiled, throwing his dufflebag over his shoulder. "I guess I better not keep Dean waiting."

He began to walk past her, but she grabbed his arm, making him wheel around.

"You can't go yet."

"Why?"

She grabbed a hold of the front of his shirt, pulling him closely, kissing him slow and deep.

"I love you, too, Sam," she said quietly into his ear.

He smiled, brushing stray hairs from her face. "You don't play fair."

"Nope," she replied with a sly grin and a wink. "See ya at Bobby's."

He shook his head with a smile before hoisting his dufflebag over his shoulder and left the house.

Jessie watched him leave, her eyes stuck on his behind. She smiled in a giddy way before she grabbed her dufflebag and her purse, set the alarm to her house, then locked up.

The Impala was gone when she turned to walk to her own car, the dust it had stirred up was the only evidence of its former presence. She felt slightly anxious about going to Bobby's house, but was unsure why. It was a feeling she couldn't shake no matter how much she tried to rationalize it.

The entire drive was uneventful. However, the moment she walked into Bobby's house, she was greeted with a smile, then a very long, and thorough lecture from Bobby. She wasn't surprised, she'd been expecting it. All she could do was listen, agree, then promise not to do anything reckless ever again.

While she promised him not to be reckless, she knew it was a lie. Hunting was reckless as far as she was concerned, and both of them knew she wasn't quitting any time soon.

After the lecture, Bobby went into the study to continue researching something he had been working on before they'd arrived. Jessie wasn't sure what to do, so she did the first thing that came to mind, make lunch.

As she was cooking some bacon for sandwiches, Sam came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She shrugged him off, before turning around with a stern look.

"Are you asking to get burned?"

He laughed at the absurdity of her question. She rolled her eyes at his laughter.

"Why don't you just sit at the table and wait?" she said with impatience as she turned back to cooking.

He chuckled as he walked over to the table and sat down. He began to browse through the various newspapers that littered the far end of the table, when he uncovered a slim rectangular package lying under them.

"Hey, Bobby!" Sam called. "What's with the package?"

"It has your name on it, ya idjit," he replied from the study.

Jessie turned around quickly, smirking before she turned back to cooking.

Sam wasn't sure who the package was from, he hadn't been expecting anything. He checked the shipping label, but it didn't give him an idea who the sender was either.

He began to open the cardboard box as Dean walked in, sitting across the table from him, watching curiously.

"Who's it from, Sammy?"

"I don't know yet," he replied with irritation as he continued to open the box.

Once he managed to get one of the flaps open, he glimpsed another box inside. He tipped it sideways, allowing the box inside to slide out, revealing another nondescript box, but also an envelope.

Picking up the envelope, he ripped it carefully, pulling out a birthday card.

"What the hell? Your birthday was a couple of weeks ago."

He shot his brother an aggravated look, then opened the card to read it. It was a generic card, but it had a personal handwritten note at the bottom.

He smiled widely as he read it to himself, laughing lightly as he got to the end of it, causing his brother to impatiently ask him what it said.

He glanced over in Jessie's direction quickly—who still had her back turned to him—before turning his attention to his brother, still grinning.

"It says, 'I'm sorry your gift is late, but I had this built especially for you, so it took some time. It might be an expensively inappropriate gift from a friend, but I couldn't stand seeing you use that super old and slow piece of shit laptop any longer. Promise me you will NOT let your brother use it to watch porn, it's way too good to use it for that. Love, Jessie.' "

He turned his attention back to the nondescript box, tearing it open quickly.

Dean turned his head in Jessie's direction. "If that wasn't a huge sign that says you loved him back then, than I don't know what is."

She turned around glaring at him furiously.

"Why don't you shut up and stop acting like a jealous little boy, Dean? You don't need to ruin your brother's moment."

He looked defensive, but stayed silent.

She walked up to the table and stood beside Sam. She smiled as she noticed the child-like grin he had on his face as he took the laptop out of the box.

"This thing must have cost a fortune," he said as he glanced up at her.

"All that matters is that you like it, Sam," she replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He reached his hand up, placing it on the hand that was on his shoulder.

"But you bought this weeks ago. How, uh..."

"I bought it for a friend, Sam. You needed a better laptop, so I bought one for you because I can. It's not a big deal."

"Well, it's a big deal to me."

"Just take care of it. It's one of the quickest, most powerful laptops ever. And since mine is more than six months old, it's even better than mine," she replied with a grin.

She finished making sandwiches for the Winchesters, then made one for Bobby and herself, which she took into the study. She sat at the desk with him while he ate, looking over what he was reading.

He was reading some religious texts, which made her wonder what he was up to. Although she was curious, she decided it didn't matter, she wasn't interested.

"That was a nice thing you did, Jessie," Bobby said abruptly, breaking the silence. "Sam's needed a new laptop for awhile."

"Uh huh."

"Did you know things were going to turn out this way?"

"What?" she asked with surprise.

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"If you want the truth, Bobby, no. I didn't plan on this at all. I just hated to see Sam using that ancient piece of crap. Especially since the only reason he hadn't replaced it was because he didn't have the money. I have money, so I bought it for him. I don't understand what the big deal is."

"And that's it?"

She sighed exaggeratedly. "If you have something to ask me, old man, just come out and ask."

He studied her carefully for a moment before speaking.

"You said you bought it a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, so?"

"Was that before you killed the Alpha?"

She narrowed her eyes this time, trying to figure out what he was asking.

"Yeah, it was. What are you getting at?"

He narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "You were expecting to die, weren't you?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "So what if I was?"

"So, you're gonna lie to the boy?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Are you being serious right now? Why does it matter what the motivation behind it was? He needed it. I bought it. It's not like anyone else did anything for his birthday. Now he's happy, so leave it alone."

"Sam doesn't like liars or people who keep things from him. Just remember that, Jess."

She gave him an impatient look, then took her plate into the kitchen. She wasn't sure what that had all been about and now she was confused. He didn't want her with Sam, but he was giving her advice about him. She was sure there was more to it than what he was saying, she just wished she knew what.

She quickly glanced in Sam's direction, who was sitting at the table with his shiny new laptop, beaming. She couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

As she watched him, she felt something strange. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was beginning to feel like part of a genuine family again. It was a strange family, with no blood relation, but their bond couldn't have been stronger if they had been blood related. She could no longer think of herself as alone. She just had to learn what it was to be part of a family again.

She was still irriatated about her conversation with Bobby, but she wasn't angry with him. She still wasn't quite sure what he'd been trying to get at, but she knew it came out of a place of love. Eventually, she decided she needed a distraction, now that she'd finished eating.

After washing the few dishes that had been dirty from lunch, she went outside and began to work on getting the scratch out of the trunk of her car. It was mostly therapeutic, working on her car, but it also needed to be done. She couldn't risk the chance that it would begin to rust, then she would have a worse problem on her hands.

The first thing she did was clean the area with soap and water, removing any loose debris, so she could see how far the scratch had gone. As long as the scratch wasn't all the way into the steel, she would just patch it up.

She rubbed some black shoe polish into the scratch, then began to sand the scratch with sandpaper and water. Once the shoe polish was gone, she knew not to sand any further. After applying some rubbing compound, she began to buff it with a polisher until it looked perfect once again, following up with a light hand buffing.

She stepped back to look at her handy work, pleased with the results. She couldn't see the scratch any longer and couldn't tell there ever was. There was only one thing left to do and that was to wax her car.

She was searching through her trunk when Dean appeared behind her, startling her

"What are you looking for, Jessie?"

"I'm looking for car wax, but I don't seem to have any left. At least that I can find."

"I've got some if you need. How's the scratch look?"

"See for yourself," she replied as she closed her trunk.

"Can't even notice it was there," he remarked.

"Impressed?" she asked teasingly.

"Not really. I had no doubt you know what you're doing."

She smiled with a mixture of thanks and amusement. She knew he was probably trying to be as pleasant as possible after she'd practically bitten his head off earlier.

He fetched car wax from the trunk of the Impala, offering to help as he handed it to her. However, he left promptly after she refused his help again, he wasn't in the mood to get on her bad side twice in one day.

She was rummage around in Bobby's shed looking for some better cloths to use to wax her car, when she felt like she was being watched. She turned on her heel quickly to find herself face to face with a stout man wearing an expensive suit.

"Hello, Jessie," the man said with a smug grin.

"What do you want?" she replied backing up a step, adjusting her body to a more defensive position.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm—"

"Crowley. "Yeah, I know who you are," she replied speaking quickly. "Bobby has described you at length."

He smirked again looking somewhat amused.

"So answer my question. What do you want?" she asked, scanning the area quickly for a weapon she might be able to use.

"I was curious about the woman that finally stole Sam Winchester's heart."

She narrowed her eyes. "What does it matter to you?"

"If I told you that, how would I keep you at a disadvantage?"

"If you have nothing else to say, why don't you get your ass back to hell?"

She wasn't sure if it was smart to mouth off to the king of hell, but she figured she had nothing to lose.

He chuckled lightly. "You're quite the sassy thing now aren't ya?"

"You have no idea," she replied bravely.

He was quiet for a moment before smirking smugly once again.

"We'll be seeing more of each other, Jessie," he replied ominously. "You can count on that."

She opened her mouth to answer him with a colorful colloquialism, but he disappeared before she got the chance.

She was upset and slightly shaken from the encounter, but he hadn't been threatening, so she felt rather silly for being so upset. He was the king of hell after all, so she couldn't berate herself too much.

She was unsure what to do next, but she figured she would finish waxing her car before telling anyone about Crowley's unexpected visit. After all, there was nothing they could do about it now and he didn't even attempt to hurt her.

After finding what she'd been looking for in the shed, she did exactly that. She finished waxing her car, before walking into the house.

**A/N: Things sure have changed between Jessie and the boys, haven't they? What do you think Crowley wanted? He didn't say much. His visit almost seemed pointless, didn't it?**

**Good news. My computer is okay for the moment. I'm hoping it's fixed for good, but it's had some tiny issues still, but nothing too bad. Hopefully I should have another chapter up in a week or so.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Sam was still bent over his new laptop as Jessie entered the house, oblivious to her presence. Bobby was rummaging through the fridge, while Dean was sitting at the table having a beer.

"How's she look?"

She glanced curiously at Dean before she realized he was talking about her car.

"She looks good. She's all waxed and sexy."

"They are sexy when they're all waxed," he replied with a wink.

She rolled her eyes while Bobby just groaned.

"I guess you didn't have any trouble then?"

"Not with the car, no."

"What's that?" Bobby asked shrewdly.

She sighed, trying to think of the best way to tell him what happened without causing him to panic.

"I just had a visitor," she replied, piquing everyone's interest. Both Sam and Dean were now turned in her direction listening.

"Who?"

"Crowley."

"What?" Sam exclaimed, jumping up from his seat.

"What did he want?" Dean asked.

"Are you okay, Jess?" Bobby asked with concern.

She smirked slightly, although it seemed inappropriate to the guys at that moment. They must have thought she'd lost her mind, but it was only a short time ago she'd been thinking about her new family and how lucky she was to have them. This was one of those moments she was happy to have them around.

"I'm fine, guys," she said calmly. "He only wanted to introduce himself, or so he said."

"What did he say?" Bobby asked.

She sighed.

"He said he wanted to meet the woman who stole Sam's heart," she replied, averting her eyes from Sam almost embarrassed.

"And that's all he wanted?"

"I guess so," she replied with a shrug. "I'm here to tell the tale, ain't I?"

The three men cast curious glances at each other, but none of them voiced their own opinions aloud.

She glanced at each of them, waiting for someone to say something, but when no one did, she decided to break the silence.

"Well, I smell like car wax, so I guess I'll go upstairs and get changed."

She waited for some reply, but when no one spoke, she left the kitchen and headed upstairs, washed up, then got into some clean clothes

When she was coming down the stairs, she heard a deep voice she didn't immediately recognize coming from the kitchen. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, before she figured out who it was.

She stomped into the kitchen glaring angrily at all of them. That was when the man in the trenchcoat turned around eyeing her with scrutiny.

"I don't see anything special with her," Castiel said while still scrutinizing Jessie. "I think whatever it may be, has more to do with Sam than it does her."

She glared at him feeling very insulted.

"Why don't you get back to your fluffly little cloud, you dick!"

He turned away from her looking confused. "Was it something I said?"

The men laughed, although Sam seemed like he was trying not to.

"Yeah, real funny," she replied with disgust. "I thought we agreed we didn't need his help?"

"You agreed," Dean replied. "We didn't."

"This is none of your business, Dean!"

"This involves my brother, so it is my business."

"Enough, ya idjits!" boomed Bobby, then turned to ask Cas a question, but he'd disappeared. "Balls!"

She narrowed her eyes at Bobby shooting him a furious look.

"If this is the way things are gonna get done around here, then I'm gonna have to go out on my own."

"Jessie, please be reasonable," Bobby replied calmly. "We're just trying to figure things out."

She shook her head angrily. "No, absolutely not. Nothing good can come of this."

"Why are you so against this, Jess?"

"You know why I'm such a good hunter?" she asked rhetorically. "Because I follow my instincts, and they're rarely wrong. Having him involved feels very wrong to me, Bobby."

"Why can't you be open-minded about this?" Dean asked.

She glanced at each of the men, stopping at Dean. "If you want to involve him in your business, be my guest. Just leave me out of it."

She waited for someone to say something, but everyone continued to look awkwardly at each other. So with a long, exaggerated sigh, she swept from the room, heading into the livingroom.

She was sitting on the couch with her laptop doing some research on a new case. She didn't care what was going on with the demons, but she wasn't going to let them make her quit doing her job. She wasn't going to let the Winchesters, or Bobby for that matter, do it either.

Her mind began to wander after a few minutes, so she grabbed her phone from her pocket and called to check up on Mike.

She talked to Mike for quite awhile, ignoring the strange looks she received from both Dean and Sam, who'd both walked in some point during her phone call. When she was done on the phone, she put it away before shooting Dean an irritated look.

"What's your problem now?"

"You and Mike sure seem awfully cozy for just friends."

She glanced quickly at Sam, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact, then fixed her gaze back on Dean.

"I don't wanna make you feel stupid, Dean, but, I'm not his type."

He snorted. "How can you be so sure you're not his type?"

She gazed at him stoically for a few moments before bursting into laughter.

"I don't have the right...equipment," she replied. "In fact, he had his eye on you, Dean. But I had to let him know you didn't play on his team."

She was laughing hysterically at the look on Dean's face when he realized what she'd been alluding to. And when Sam joined in on the laughter, Dean left the room, clearly embarrassed.

"I guess that'll teach him," she said as she turned to Sam. "You weren't jealous, were you?"

"No...not at all."

She rolled her eyes slightly, only half believing him, then turned her attention back to her laptop.

Sam came to sit beside her on the couch, laying his hand on her knee.

"I want to thank you again for the new laptop, Jessie."

"No need to thank me, Sam, really."

"Well, that wasn't what I wanted to say. Not really."

She eyed him warily, wondering if she even wanted to know.

"I'm sorry about the whole Castiel thing."

"Sam..."

"No, I should've come to find you, to warn you."

"It's okay, Sam. I don't blame you. I don't even blame them," she replied with a sigh. "I don't even care if you want something to do with him. All I want is for you to leave me out of it."

"That sounds fair," he replied.

"Then talk to your brother, please. Explain it to him."

He nodded gently. "I'll try."

She smiled lightly then took the hand that was on her knee into hers.

"Try not to worry so much, Sam," she said, squeezing his hand gently. "You've dealt with demons before. You've been to hell and back. This time shouldn't be any different."

He snorted. "I wish I could be as confident and optimistic as you."

"Alcohol helps alot," she replied with a smile.

"You don't fool me, Jessie."

She raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"We're all afraid at some point, even Dean, although he pretends not to be. The same goes for you, and me."

She smiled and shook her head. "I never said I wasn't afraid, Sam. I said not to worry. Worrying is useless."

"So you are afraid?"

She rolled her eyes, sighing impatiently.

"I need to get back to work, Sam," she said, pulling her hand from his and turning back to her laptop.

He looked surprised and confused, but he shook it off. He knew she was testy when it came to admitting fear. He leaned closer to her, trying to see the screen of her computer.

"What are you working on?"

"Looks like a haunting, but I can't be sure yet."

"You mean you're planning on hunting?"

She looked at him with confusion. "If you think I'm staying at Bobby's until he decides it's safe then you're as crazy as he is."

"I heard that!" yelled Bobby from the study.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I'd like to finish my research, Sam."

He nodded his head, kissed her on the cheek then left the room without another word.

She checked him out as he walked away, grinning, before turning back to her reasearch.

After a couple of hours of research, Jessie cooked supper for everyone. She hadn't noticed how late it was while she was engrossed in her work, but when she realized it, she made something to eat, since the guys didn't seem like they were going to. She didn't mind cooking, but she was beginning to think they were taking advantage of her. She didn't think they were doing it intentionally, and, she realized it was probably her fault for making it so easy for them.

After a few more hours of research, Jessie went up to bed, alone. Everyone else was still awake, but she was tired from staring at her computer screen for so long.

She tossed and turned for a short time trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Once she was comfortable, she closed her eyes trying to drift off to sleep, but her mind wasn't ready to sleep. Between information in her research, images of Crowley and thoughts about her relationship with Sam, it wasn't so easy to find sleep.

Eventually she managed to drift off into a restless sleep, however, she woke in the middle of the night.

After trying—without success—to go back to sleep, she headed downstairs.

She found Bobby half dozing off in his study, reading a book. She managed to get him to go to his bed, then she sat in the kitchen and had a beer, in hopes it might help her sleep.

Jessie was almost finished drinking her beer when Sam walked into the kitchen looking tired and dishevelled. He flipped the light switch and nearly jumped when he noticed she'd been sitting there in the dark, he hadn't been expecting anyone to be awake but himself.

She laughed to herself when he tried flattening his hair, to no avail. It didn't matter to her what it looked like, he still looked good to her.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be awake," he said as he poured himself a glass of juice.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Me either."

"Hmmm," he said as he sat down at the table beside her. "Why do you think that is?"

She glanced at him curiously and shrugged her shoulders.

He leaned closer to her, putting his arm around her while smiling lightly. It didn't take her long to realize what he was getting at.

"Uh, Sam," she said uncomfortably. "I don't think Bobby would appreciate it if we slept in the same bed."

"Yeah, you're probably right," he replied taking a sip of his juice.

"You should get used to sleeping alone though, Sam," she replied impassively.

"Huh?"

She snorted in disbelief. "Do you think you'll be sleeping with me when we're on the road?"

"Well, yeah."  
>She laughed, shaking her head. "Unless Dean is sleeping in the same room with us, that's not happening."<p>

"What? Why?" he asked, looking disappointed.

"We said we would do things like we're used to. Well that includes sleeping in separate motel rooms." He tried to interrupt. "But, if Dean wants to have a lady there, then you can always join me."

"I didn't know you'd had time to think about these things," he replied disappointed.

She leaned closer and began to run her hands through his hair, while staring deeply into his eyes.

"Things can change eventually, Sam. But I think we need to make small changes at first."

"You're probably right," he replied, turning to face her.

"But don't change that," she replied with a grin. "I like hearing I'm right."

He smiled, tracing lines on her cheek with his fingertips, making her sigh with pleasure.

She placed her hand on the back of his head, entwining his hair in her fingers, pulled him close and began to kiss him deeply, while he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

They kissed passionately for a short time, before Jessie stopped.

"I would love to keep going, Sam," she replied still breathing heavily. "But at some point I'm not going to be able to stop myself."

He smiled blissfully. "Yeah."

She kissed him once on the cheek before standing up. "I think it's time for me to get to bed."

As she began to walk away, he grasped her by the wrist, twisting her around as he stood up, pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her slowly. He only kissed her for a few moments before pulling away with a grin.

"I hope that helps you sleep," he teased.

She slapped him playfully on the arm. "You're not playing fair."

"Turnabout is fair play," he replied with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, I see. You're just doing the same thing I did to you when we left my house yesterday," she said, crossing her arms. "How very mature, Sam."

He chuckled lightly as she began to pout.

"It's a good thing I deserved that," she said while sticking her tongue out at him.

"Now who's being immature?" he asked.

She narrowed her eyes for a moment before she laughed, which made him laugh in return.

"What the hell are you two making so much noise for?" Dean asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Jessie turned in surprise trying to hold back her laughter, but his appearance—his hair was standing up in different directions—made her laugh louder.

Sam began to laugh as his brother looked both angry and confused, then tried flattening his hair.

"We sure are grown up tonight," he said as he went into the fridge and grabbed a beer.

Once Jessie managed to get control over her laughter, she walked over to Sam, kissing him on the cheek lightly.

"I'm going back to bed now," she said, then whispered, "I love you."

He grasped her by the arms, pulled her closely, kissing her gently.

"I love you, too. Sleep well."

She winked once before leaving the room. She noticed Dean's uncomfortable look as she left, making her laugh inwardly.

Once she was in her room and comfortable in her bed, she fell asleep almost instantly.

Jessie woke up only a few hours after she'd gone back to bed, but she felt fully rested.

She lounged in bed for a few minutes before taking a shower and getting dressed, then heading downstairs. It was quiet when she went into the kitchen, but she could hear Bobby in the study, and there was a fresh pot of coffee on. She was thinking of asking him what he wanted for breakfast, but before she could ask, she thought of something she wanted to make for herself, and if he didn't like it she didn't care.

She checked the fridge and cupboard to make sure she had all the ingredients before beginning to cook. As soon as she began cooking the first piece of french toast, Bobby popped his nose into the kitchen to see what she was up to. When she told him, he pretended to turn his nose up at it, but she knew better. She suspected he was just in a foul mood over something else.

Dean managed to be sitting at the table waiting for food before she'd finished cooking Bobby's food. She smiled at his enthusiasm over food, it never ceased to amaze her.

Dean had scarfed down most of his french toast before his brother had managed to make it into the kitchen. Sam sat down beside his brother, after he kissed Jessie on the cheek and grabbed himself a coffee.

She served Sam his plate, then sat down to eat her own food. Dean had already finished eating by this time and had decided to leave his brother and Jessie alone.

"Thank you for breakfast," he said with a smile.

She nodded. "So, how did you manage to sleep?"

"Fine," he replied tersely.

She noticed something in his eyes when he answered, but she wasn't sure what it meant. Then she remembered she'd left him in the kitchen with Dean in the middle of the night.

"Did something happen, Sam?"

He sat staring across the table pensively before answering.

"Dean and I just had a, brotherly, uh, talk, last night."  
>She wanted to ask if it was about her, but she figured whatever it was about was between them and none of her business. She knew if he wanted to talk about it he eventually would, so the best thing to do would be to change the subject.<p>

"So, how's the new laptop?"

He smiled widely. "It's great. I can't believe how fast it is."

"Did you manage to do any research with it yet?"

"Just a little, why?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you were coming with me on my hunt or if you'd found your own."

"You're pretty eager to get back to work, aren't you?"

She sighed in annoyance. "It's my job, Sam, and I enjoy what I do. Is there something wrong with that?"

He was silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

"I know that, Jessie. I just thought...you might want to stay here a couple more days."

"Are you serious? Why exactly would I want to do that, Sam?"

"I dunno," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe, so we could spend some time together."

At first she felt almost guilty because she did want to spend time with him too, but at the same time, she had a feeling there was more to it.

"If you come hunting with me, we can spend time together, Sam," she replied.

He snorted. "I don't know about you, but I don't usually have time for much while I'm hunting."

"But we'll be together."

He definitely couldn't argue with her logic, although he wanted to. He was torn between a need to keep her safe and wanting to let her be her own person.

"You're right," he replied with a smile.

She smiled because she knew she'd won.

She began to tidy up the dishes, but Sam wouldn't allow her to since she'd cooked. Instead, she went into the livingroom with her laptop and began to go through her research from the day before.

When the dishes were done, Sam came to sit in the livingroom with his laptop and began to do some research of his own. He didn't want to interrupt Jessie, or Bobby, he'd been miserable since the night before. And Dean was busy with his car.

When he'd finally had enough of researching, he closed his laptop, set it down, walking over to the couch and sat beside Jessie.

"What've you been working on?" he asked.

She glanced up from her laptop almost looking confused for a moment before realizing he'd been talking to her. She'd been so engrossed she hadn't even noticed he'd come to sit beside her.

"Are you familiar with the story of Lizzie Borden?"

"Of course," he replied. "She was accused of killing her father and step-mother with a hatchet, but she was acquitted."

"Yes," she said with a smile. "Well, the house that the murders took place in was converted to a bed and breakfast years ago. There's never been any kind of ghost activity there, until recently."

"What kind of activity?"

"From what I can gather, it started out with guests hearing voices, seeing things move, suddenly feeling cold, that kinda thing. That was until a week ago, when the owners were found dead, apparently killed by a hatchet. A hatchet that was never found. Now people are thinking it's the ghost of Lizzie Borden who killed them."

"And what are the cops saying?"

"They're stumped. The place had no guests at the time. There was no sign of forced entry. So they gather it might have been one of their kids."

"Their kids?"

"Yeah. There was some dispute between the kids and their parents shortly before the murders. They were getting ready to retire and they were going to leave the business to one of their daughters, the one who'd been working there throughout the years. However, the oldest sister thought it should go to her because she's the oldest. Of course this is all speculation from friends and relatives, but there were rumors the parents had been to see a lawyer several times."

"Wasn't there some kind of property dispute in the Borden household before the murders?" he asked.

"Yup."

She watched as an enthusiastic smile crept on his face, making her smile.

"It sounds very promising, Jessie."

"I'm glad you think so," she replied, laying her hand on his knee. "I hope that means you'll come with me."

"Of course, I will," he replied. "And I hate to say it, but not just because you're going."

"Let me guess, because it's a piece of history, _and_, because you'd like to know who really killed the Bordens?"

"Am I that transparent?"

She laughed. "No, that's just how I feel."

"Are you saying we think alike?"

"I wouldn't go as far as that," she replied with a smile.

"When do you wanna leave?"

She looked down at her computer, typed for a moment, then looked back up at Sam.

"Well, it's anywhere between twenty-five to twenty-nine hours drive from here to Fall River, Mass."

"Let me go talk to Dean about this," he said as he stood up. "Good luck with Bobby," he whispered before he left the room.

She rolled her eyes before setting her laptop aside. She wasn't looking forward to speaking to Bobby about leaving, but it had to be done

"You do know I can hear what you're talking about from here?" he asked as she walked into the study.

She rolled her eyes like a child who was about to be lectured by her father.

"I'm not gonna tell you not to go, Jess. What would be the point? You aren't gonna listen to me anyway."

"You're right about that old man."

"When are you gonna take this demon thing seriously?"

She sighed exaggeratedly. "I'm taking it seriously."

"Then why doesn't it seem like it?"

"Dammit, Bobby!" she snapped. "If something's gonna happen to me, then it's gonna happen. I'm not about to let some demons keep me prisoner."

He narrowed his eyes at her looking angrily for a moment before his look softened.

"I should throttle you for making me worry so much about you, kid."

She walked closer, leaned over, hugging him awkwardly.

"I love you, too—dad."

He smiled shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. Now get outta here before I start crying like a lady."

She laughed heartily, patting him on the back before she left the room.

While it had gone better than she'd thought, she knew he wasn't about to give up on trying to figure out what Crowley wanted, or trying to keep her safe. She also knew he was going to speak to the boys about keeping her safe, not that they needed to be told, but she didn't want to be around for it. So she headed up to her bedroom and began to pack. She could care less when Dean wanted to leave, she was going to leave whenever she felt like it.

**A/N: Well, she did manage to tell them about Crowley. That's a step forward for her. She still doesn't like the idea of Castiel helping though, does she? Oh, and I did do research of my own for the upcoming case. I don't know if I should find that kind of sad or what? I'll just tell myself I was trying to be as authentic as possible lol. Of course the case itself isn't real, but the details about the history of the place is.**

**Oh, and I am still having computer problems but so far so good. Everything is backed up so I'm only worried about not being able to write.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

After much discussion, the three hunters left Bobby's house heading towards Fall River, shortly after lunch. They drove, Dean and Sam in the Impala and Jessie in her Caprice, for eight hours before deciding to stop for food at a small diner off the interstate.

"We need to find some place to sleep soon. I'm not driving another twenty hours without sleep," Jessie said as she set her fork down.

Sam nodded his head in agreement while Dean chuckled.

"What's so funny, Dean?" she asked irritably.

"Nothing. Nothing."

She glanced at Sam, who only shrugged his shoulders.

"Say it," she said turning back to Dean.

"For someone who wants to be treated like a big, bad hunter, you sure don't act tough."

"Because I want my sleep? Well, Dean, I can go without sleep, if I _need_ to. But if I don't need to, you don't wanna know me."

"Whatever you say, princess."

She shot him a furious look, reached into her pocket, pulling out some money and threw it onto the table.

"Screw you, Dean," she said as she walked out of the diner.

She'd managed to unlock the door to her car when Sam appeared calling her name. She ignored him, trying to climb into the car and shut the door, but he managed to stop her from closing it.

"What do you want, Sam?" she asked without looking at him.

"You do know my brother is just yanking your chain, right?"

"Your point?" she asked shortly.

"Are you angry with me?"

She sighed. "No. Why would I be?"

"I don't know. Because I didn't stick up for you?"

She snorted. "I can fight my own battles, Sam, you know that."

"I know."

"I'm not angry with you, or even Dean. I'm just tired and irritable."

"You sure that's all it is?"

"Yes."

He wasn't sure if he believed her but he had no reason to doubt what she was saying. Either way, he wasn't going to get in between her and his brother.

"We'll stop at the closest place, Jessie," he said.

"Fine. I'll look it up on my laptop and send you a text."

"Can't we just follow you?"

She laughed once. "Dean hasn't finished his pie, he isn't going anywhere yet."

He smiled and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Drive safe."

She smiled as he stepped back allowing her to close the door, then watched as he walked back into the diner, before she took her laptop out. It only took her moments to find the nearest place, which she quickly texted the directions to Sam before leaving.

The motel was about ten minutes down the road from the diner. She paid for two rooms for the night, then went back to her car to get her dufflebag. She was unlocking the door to her room, when she thought she heard someone behind her. She turned around jumping back in surprise.

"Crowley!"

"Hello, darling," he said with a grin.

"What the hell do you want?" she demanded as she reached into her jacket pocket looking for her flask of holy water.

"I wouldn't bother," he replied. With a flick of his hand the flask went flying out of reach.

She glared at him furiously, desperately thinking of a way to escape.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

"Right. And I should believe that why?"

"Because if I wanted to, you'd already be dead."

She couldn't argue with him about that.

"Then what _do_ you want?"

He was quiet for a moment, seemingly scrutinizing her.

"Those demons that attacked you the other day were _not_ mine. I have no desire to get on the bad side of the Winchesters, at the moment."

She snorted. "Yeah, sure. And I'm supposed to believe that, too. I was born at night but it wasn't last night."

"Think what you like, I don't give a damn. I've only come to warn you."

"You came to warn me?" she interrupted. "That's rich."

He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I see why you get along so well with the Winchesters."

She rolled her eyes.

"As much fun as this was, it's time for me to go before they get here. But before I leave—you need to to get away from that moose you call Sam. He will be the death of you."

She looked confused. "I thought you wanted me with Sam?"

He sighed exaggeratedly. "I told you, those demons were _not_ mine. Being with Sam is the last thing I want to happen."

"I don't understand."

"Then figure it out!" he yelled, before disappearing.

She had no idea what to think about anything Crowley had said. She was both shocked and confused by the entire exchange and had no idea what to do about. After pondering it for a few minutes, she placed Sam and Dean's motel key under the mat in front of the door and texted Sam, telling him where the key was and not to bother her. She was going to go to sleep and she would see him in six hours. She didn't care if it seemed strange to him, she was positive he would do as she asked and she could explain everything in the morning.

She didn't unpack or even change into clothes to sleep in. She just wanted to crawl into bed and forget everything for a few hours. After taking her pants off, she climbed underneath the sheets, laid her head on the pillow and fell asleep.

She'd been so eager to go to bed, she'd forgotten to set an alarm. She was awakened by a loud pounding on the motel door. She yelled, making the knocking stop, then climbed out of bed and put her pants back on so she could answer the door.

"Good morning, uh, Jessie," Sam said, his smile changing to a look of confusion. "Did you sleep in your clothes?"

"Uh, yeah," she said as she waved him inside and closed the door behind him. "I told you I was tired."

"Is that all it is?"

It took that one question for her to decide not to mention her visit with Crowley at that moment. She wanted to tell him, but she was afraid that would distract him from their job and she didn't want that. She promised herself at that moment that she would tell him after they solved their case.

"What else would it be, Sam?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. You just seem kind of, distant."

"I was just tired and cranky," she replied dismissively. "Can you give me ten minutes to shower and change into some clean clothes?"

"Yeah."

She quickly grabbed her dufflebag and went into the bathroom to shower and change. She'd expected Sam to follow her, but she was happy—but also torn—he was giving her some space.

"You didn't happen to bring coffee?" she asked as she walked out of the bathroom, stopping short when she noticed Dean.

They were looking at her suspiciously, before shooting each other a conspiratorial look.

"What's going on?"

"We should be asking you that," Dean replied.

She looked at Sam with confusion. "What's he talking about?"

He glanced at her furtively, almost avoiding eye contact. "We found sulfur outside by your car."

She swallowed hard. "Can we please talk about this after I get some coffee in me?"

"No. I think we need to discuss this now."

She shifted her gaze to Dean, but he seemed just as adamant as his brother.

"Fine," she replied with a sigh.

She explained everything that Crowley said without hesitation, which had the brothers just as confused as she was.

"This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever," Dean said throwing his hands in the air.

"Tell me about it, Dean," replied his brother. "I don't understand what he meant when he said they weren't _his_ demons. What does that even mean?"

"I thought he was the king of hell?" she said.

"He is," replied Dean. "But not all the demons wanted it that way."

She shook her head. "Okay, that makes more sense, but what I don't understand is why they care about me being, or not being, with Sam."

"Your guess is as good as mine."

She glanced at Sam hoping he had an idea, instead she found him hanging his shoulders broodingly.

"See! This is why I didn't want to tell you. I'm not gonna allow demons to run my life, period."

"This isn't just your choice though, Jessie," Sam replied ruefully.

She was taken aback by the sadness in his voice, which made her feel hurt and a little angry.

"I can't deal with this right now," she snapped. "I'm gonna go get myself a coffee."

She didn't wait for either of them to respond before she left the room.

Sam made to follow her, but Dean stepped in his way.

"Get out of my way, Dean," he warned.

"No. You and I need to have a talk, Sammy."

"Dean..."

"Shut up and listen."

Sam sighed loudly before sitting down on the couch, while Dean stood in front of him.

"I'm not gonna allow you to ruin things with Jessie because of some ass hat demons. For years I watched you turn from a man who wanted a life with a woman and a family, to someone who was always angry, only bent on hate and revenge. This is the first time I've seen you happy in a very long time and I don't want you to screw this opportunity up."

"Maybe we're not meant to be happy, Dean. All our lives we've been inundated with this shit, so why should now be any different?"

"That's not the point, Sam. This girl loves you, though I'm not sure why. And she can take care of herself, too. Why would you want to give that up for any reason?"

"I don't know, Dean. You know what happens to all of the women in my life. Maybe it would be for the best."

He glared at his brother furiously. "I should kick your ass for even thinking that, Sammy. I gave up Lisa, and for what? To keep her safe. But Jessie's already in the life, she knows the deal. She knows she could be killed at any moment, and if you actually spent some time talking to her about it, you'd already know that."

He shook his head looking confused. "You don't think I already know that?"

"Then none of this should be in question."

"Why are you pushing so hard for this, Dean?"

He smirked in disbelief. "The same reason you made me promise to go to Lisa when you went to hell. You wanted me to be happy. I want the same for you, Sammy. You've had nothing but crap for most of your life. Don't you think it's about time you were happy?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. I haven't really thought about it in a long time."

"Well, dammit, you should!"

"I don't get it though, Dean. You and Jessie are always arguing, or, have some smartass remark for each other. I would've thought you would be happy not to have her around."

"Not at all," he replied with a chuckle. "She keeps things interesting. And...I don't have to watch you every second of the day anymore."

He rolled his eyes.

"I won't tell her you almost said something nice about her," he teased.

"Yeah, don't."

He laughed. "Okay, Dean."

He nodded his head and smiled. "I'll go and find her so you can talk." He turned to leave, then turned back. "And _only_ talk. We do have somewhere to be."

He rolled his eyes as his brother left.

It was a few minutes before Jessie came into the motel room with a coffee in her hand. She seemed to be much more calm than she had been when she'd left, which was a relief to Sam.

"I'm sorry, Jessie," he said after she'd come to sit on the couch with him. "Apparently I'm not very good at this whole relationship thing."

She sighed, placing her free hand on his knee. "Look, Sam, I'm not very good at this either." She stopped for a moment swallowing hard. "I've always been very independent, even before my grandfather died. Maybe that's why I accepted the hunting lifestyle so easily. I didn't have to worry about anyone but myself. Nobody to tell me what to do. It was lonely, but, I never had to answer to anyone."

"I understand, I do. But you promised me no secrets and I would do the same."

"I know, Sam, and I'm sorry."

He reached out and took the hand on his knee into his, squeezing it firmly. "Promise me again and we'll forget this even happened."

"No," she replied quietly. "I don't want you to forget."

"Then promise me you won't keep something like this from me again."

She gazed into his eyes wanting so desperately to tell him the truth, but something deep down inside told her there was no way she was going to be able to keep that promise. However, she did make the promise and sealed it with a kiss.

It didn't take long for Jessie and the Winchesters to get back on the road. They stopped at the nearest restaurant with a drive-thru, ordering food they could eat while driving, then did the same in the early afternoon for lunch.

They drove for several hours after it became dark before they stopped for dinner. Jessie insisted on something other than fast food, a fight she won by agreeing to pay, not that she minded. She just liked to argue with Dean, and having her way as often as she could didn't hurt either.

They ate at a reasonably priced Bar and Grill, enjoying the food much more than they had their breakfast and lunch. Both Jessie and Dean argued with Sam about having a couple of beers, but he won. Both of them knew they shouldn't be drinking and driving anyway.

After they finished eating, they headed back out on the road, continuing on to Fall River. They arrived in town midmorning, before the sun had risen, driving to the motel closest to the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast.

"We only need one room," she said as they walked to the motel office.

"Why is that?" Dean asked curiously.

She stopped, turning around to answer him.

"Because Sam and I will be checking into the bed and breakfast in the morning, while you stay here."

He looked at her with confusion. "Why are we going to separate?"

"We're not. We just need a legitimate reason to be there."

"I still say we should go to the boneyard and dig her up."

She rolled her eyes.

"Dean, we don't even know if it's her," replied Sam.

"Well, the whole family is planted there, why not dig 'em all up?"

"You're crazier than I ever imagined," Jessie said with a laugh. "If you wanna dig 'em all up then have at it."

After paying, the three of them walked into the motel room together, each dragging their dufflebags with them.

"I need a couple hours of sleep," Jessie said as she flopped onto the couch. "You and Sam can take the beds, I'm gonna sleep on the couch."

"I can't let you do that," Sam said. "I'll take the couch."

"That's all nice and chivalrous, Sam, but I wanna sleep on the couch."

"Okay," he agreed, kissing her on the forehead. "Sweet dreams."

She smiled at him before laying down, covering herself with a blanket he'd brought over to her. She fell asleep almost instantly.

Jessie woke up stiff, but felt rested. She sat up, noticing Sam was sitting up in his bed with his laptop, furiously clicking away. It made her smile. She also noticed Dean was still fast asleep.

"Good morning," he said with a smile as he raised his head from the computer screen.

"Good morning, Sam," she beamed. "I see you're already up and working."

"Yeah, well, I didn't even sleep."

"Oh," she replied in surprise. "You weren't tired?"

"I slept earlier while Dean was driving."

She climbed out of bed, grabbing her dufflebag and walked into the bathroom to grab a quick shower. She was only a few minutes, since she wasn't dirty, or sweaty.

When she came out of the bathroom, Dean had finally gotten out of bed and was tying his shoes. She was glad she hadn't come out a minute sooner or things might have been a bit awkward.

They quickly discussed the plan for the day, then left the motel room, grabbing coffee before heading to the bed and breakfast.

"We're a bit early for the tour," Jessie said as she walked over to the Impala where the boys were standing. "But in the meantime, Sam and I can check-in."

"And why exactly are the two of you staying again?" Dean asked as he opened the trunk.

She sighed. "I explained this to you already. Not many single people stay at a bed and breakfast."

"And someone has to be outside of this place in case something happens," Sam added.

"But why am I the odd man out?"

Jessie gazed at him evenly. "Unless you want to pretend you and your brother are more than friends, and sleep in the same bed, then this is the way it's gotta be."

He shook his head looking horrified at such a suggestion. "Yeah, I think I'll pass."

She cast a sideways glance at Sam, grinning with amusement.

"That's what I thought you'd say," she replied with a chuckle.

Dean pulled something from the trunk before closing it, shooting her an annoyed look.

"What is that?" she asked pointing to what was in his hand.

"It's an EMF meter, but shouldn't you know that already?"

She chuckled. "It was a rhetorical question, Dean. I knew what it was. But why the hell is it so big? How do you expect to keep it concealed?"

"Hey, I made this one myself."

"Yeah, and it shows," she teased.

"Ha, ha," he said mockingly.

"Alright children," Sam interrupted. "Can we try to act like professionals now?"

Both Dean and Jessie rolled their eyes at him.

He took her hand, leading her into the office and checked in, while making sure they would be able to attend the tour.

"You know you're the first couple in a few days to stay here," the woman said.

"Really?" Jessie asked, trying to sound surprised.

"Ever since the murders we've had cancellation after cancellation. Although the tours have gotten much busier."

"Well my boyfriend and I had been planning this trip for some time," she replied smiling at Sam. "We don't really believe in the whole ghost thing."

The woman smiled strangely. "So you'd like to stay in the John Morse room?"

"Absolutely."

She handed her the room key, explaining about the tours. Their room would be open to the public until the last tour ended, then they would be free to lock the door.

"Did you have to lay it on so thick?" Sam asked as they carried their stuff up to their room.

She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on now, Sam. We both know ghosts aren't real," she said with a laugh.

"That's right. Somehow I forgot that. Maybe it was all the head injuries I sustained during fights with ghosts," he teased.

"Oh, is that your problem?" she teased back.

He rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Why did you choose this particular room to stay in anyways?"

"Oh. It's the room that Abby Borden's body was found in. That's Lizzie's step-mother."

He nodded.

She took their stuff, cramming it into the wardrobe, then pulled out her EMF meter.

"Hey," he said walking over to her. "That can wait," he said, taking it from her hands.

"Sam!"  
>He quickly shoved it into his pocket before pulling her into a tight embrace and began to kiss her deeply.<p>

She tried to protest, but she became lost in the many pleasurable sensations coursing through her body. She couldn't have resisted, even if she'd wanted to.

They kissed for several minutes, before they were interrupted by someone at the door clearing their throat.

"Dean!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Sammy. Normally I wouldn't be cock-blocking you, but the tour is about to start—and we have a job to do."

He glanced at Jessie who looked slightly ashamed. He winked at her before turning his attention back to his brother.

She reached into Sam's pants as he turned around, retrieving her EMF meter from him.

Sam took her hand as they followed Dean from the room, catching up with the beginning of the tour.

Jessie allowed Sam to practically drag her from room to room while she was busy with the meter. She wasn't really paying attention to anything the woman leading the tour was saying, mostly because some of the people in the tour were busy talking about the recent murders. She listened as intently as she could, while still managing to keep an eye on her meter.

As the tour made it into the room that Jessie and Sam were going to stay in, she felt a sudden chill run through her and she knew by Sam and Dean's reaction that they both felt it as well. Glancing down at her meter, it was showing a large amount of ghost activity in the room. But as soon as the tour began to move from the room, she began to feel warm and her meter was once again virtually silent.

"You sure you want to stay here tonight?" Dean whispered to them as they hung back from the tour.

"Someone has to find out who the ghost is, Dean," his brother replied.

"We'll be fine, Dean," she added. "At least we know there's a ghost for sure."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. He turned around and caught up to the rest of the tour, his brother and Jessie close behind him.

After the tour ended, the three of them jumped into the Impala and headed down the road to have something to eat, since all they'd had so far that day was coffee.  
>After they ate, the took a drive out to the Oak Grove cemetery, where the entire Borden family was buried. They couldn't do much other than look around, since the deaths of the recent owners had attracted many visitors to the grave site.<p>

"This is stupid," Jessie said when they got back to the car.

The Winchesters glanced at her oddly waiting for her to elaborate.

"People are stupid!" she said with frustration. "They say they believe in ghosts, yet if you were to tell them you hunt the damn things they'd lock you up in a freakin' asylum."

"How long have you been hunting now?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up, Dean!" she replied, glaring dangerously. "I'm just pissed 'cause they're in our damn way."

He opened his eyes widely, shooting his brother a strange grin.

"Ok, that's enough," Sam said. "I don't think we're gonna find anything else here, so let's go."

After an uncomfortable silence, everyone gathered into the car, driving back to the motel room, where they did a little more research until it began to get late. Then Dean drove Sam and Jessie to the bed and breakfast, dropping them off before heading back to the Oak Grove cemetery.

Sam and Jessie retrieved several things from their belongings, including salt, extra bullet clips and a mini recording device.

"Do you normally look for EVP when you're hunting a ghost?" Sam asked Jessie as she set up the recording device.

"Huh? Oh, no, not usually," she said as she looked at him. "I just have a feeling this case is not as cut and dry as your brother would like to think it is."

"And you think that will help?"

She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Are you questioning my hunting skills, Sam?" she replied in a dangerous tone.

"Uh, no, not at all. It's just...nevermind."

She felt insulted enough not to find his response funny in the least.

After they double checked their weapons, they stepped out into the dark and quiet hallway to look around.

They stepped lightly, passing by each room while listening intently. Jessie was keeping a sharp eye on her EMF meter, while Sam walked behind her, pulling up the rear. No sounds could be heard, except for the creaking of the old wooden floor.

They paced the floors as quietly as possible for several minutes before deciding to go back to their room so they could talk.

"Did you pick up anything?"

"No, Sam, I didn't. Don't you think I'd have mentioned that," she replied with irritation.

He looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Are you pissed at me?"

She sighed. "I'm not pissed, I'm just irritated, Sam."

"Why?"  
>"You and your brother are always questioning my hunting skills and I'm sick of it."<p>

"I wasn't questioning your skills, Jessie, I was questioning your tactics."

"Same thing."

She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her closely.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to make it sound like that."

She fixed her eyes on his, hoping to show him how serious she really was, but it didn't turn out that way. She was unable to stay angry with him while seeing the truth in his eyes.

She sighed in defeat. "Let's just—"

Suddenly a woman's scream could be heard from inside the house, sending Sam and Jessie instantly into defensive mode. Both of them reached for their guns, running from their room into the hallway, heading straight downstairs towards the sitting room.

When they reached the room, the woman who'd been running the place was cowering in the corner of the room, blood dripping from a nasty wound on her head. The ghost was holding a hatchet high above it's head ready to strike, when it heard the two hunters behind it.

Turning around, both Sam and Jessie realized it wasn't the ghost of Lizzie Borden, it was a man. Somehow the man seemed familiar to Jessie, but she couldn't place him. She couldn't give it a thought at the moment, all she was worried about was stopping it so they could save the woman. Shots rang out from both of their guns, but it disappeared before it was hit.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked the woman as he squatted down in front of her.

"I think so," she cried, holding the wound on her head.

"Let's get you out of here," he said, helping her to her feet, allowing her to lean on him heavily.

As he was standing her up, he noticed the ghost appear across the room.

"Jessie!"

Jessie turned around, attempting to move out of the way in time, but she was caught by the broad side of the hatchet, making her fly a few feet, smacking into the wall before falling to the floor. She managed to keep a tight hold of her gun, but when she tried to raise her hand, she realized she couldn't.

The ghost raised the hatchet over her head, but Sam shot it before it could swing.

"Jessie?"

"I'm okay, Sam," she replied as she struggled to get to her feet. "Get her out of here."

He fought the urge to assist her, instead dragging the woman from the room. He attempted to take her out the front door, but he found the door wouldn't budge.

"The ghost doesn't want us to leave," he explained to the woman as she looked at him questioningly.

"Let's get her up to our room, Sam," Jessie said as she stumbled into the room.

He nodded his head then headed towards the stairs, Jessie close behind him. They managed to get up to their room, salting the doorway behind them, then making a large circle of salt around them as an extra precaution.

After Sam tended to the woman's wound as best as he could with what they had, he joined Jessie, who was attempting to to look for something on her laptop with her left hand.

"What's wrong with your arm?" he asked with concern.

"I dislocated my shoulder when I hit the wall."

"Do you want me to fix it for you?"

She gazed into his concerned eyes trying to decide if she wanted him to help her right now. She knew it was gonna hurt like hell, but if he did it properly she'd be fine again.

"You have done this before, right?" she asked fearfully.

"Yes," he replied with a supportive smile.

She nodded her head in agreement then stood up straight. She did everything he asked, closing her eyes before he attempted to pop the joint back into place. She couldn't help but let out a scream as the first attempt failed. She could tell by Sam's eyes that he was sorry, but he needed to try again. She closed her eyes again, trying to relax as much as she could so it would be easier to fix, which seemed to help because the second try was successful.

"Now that my arm is better, we need to figure out who that ghost is," she said as she began to once again look through her notes on her laptop.

"Excuse me," the woman interrupted. "I think I know who it is."

"You do?" Sam asked wheeling around.

"William Borden."

He shrugged.

"You mean the illegitimate son of Andrew Borden? Lizzie's half brother?"

"I can't be sure, we don't have many photographs of him, but I'm almost positive it's him."

"Do you know where he's buried?" Sam asked.

"He's buried in Oak Grove cemetery like the rest of the family, but I couldn't tell you where."

Sam called his brother to give him the new information, staying on the phone with him until the bones were burned. Then, both he and Jessie went through the entire house to make sure the ghost was gone. Once they were positive it had vanished, they called 911 to get help for the injured woman.

"Well, we're the ones who finally solved the mystery of the Borden murders," Sam said once everyone was gone.

Jessie looked up from her dufflebag, which she was packing. "Too bad we're the only ones who'll ever know the truth."

"The woman we saved will know the truth."

"Right. And who's gonna believe her, Sam?"

"Yeah," he replied with a laugh.

She put the last of her stuff into her dufflebag and was about to hoist it on her back, when Sam took it from her hands, dropping it to the floor, wrapping his arms around her and began to kiss her deeply.

Caught by surprise, she kissed Sam back for a minute before pulling away with a smile.

"Sam. We really need to get out of here before the cops figure out who we really are."

He looked disappointed but he knew she was right. He picked up his dufflebag and Jessie's and left the room quickly, before she could protest about grabbing her bag for her.

She smiled as he left, slightly amused by his quick departure. She knew he was feeling bad about her injury but was too afraid to ask her if she was feeling better. She knew she'd been a little too rough on him and felt guilty, so she decided she'd try to make it up to him later.

**A/N: Well, Crowley sure threw Jessie for a loop, didn't he? No one knows if he's jerking them around or telling them the truth, but I guess with him it's probably a bit of both. The case was over quickly, but I swear the next one coming up should be pretty good. Why you ask? Well, you'll be seeing someone from the Winchesters' past. Near the end of season 1 *wink* It should prove pretty interesting, or at least I hope. Haven't written that part yet lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Sam and Jessie arrived at the motel room within minutes of leaving the bed and breakfast. Neither of them had spoken while in the car and Sam exited the car quickly once it had stopped, grabbing both of their belongings and dragging them inside.

Jessie noticed the Impala was nowhere to be seen, so she assumed Dean was still on his way back from the cemetery.

She released a weary sigh as she walked into the room and began to rummage through her dufflebag, which Sam had placed on the floor beside the couch. She grabbed her small bottle of whiskey, opened it, drinking it straight from the bottle, before flopping onto the couch.

"You okay?" Sam asked hesitantly as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Define, okay?" she asked in response.

"How's the arm?"

"It's aching a bit, but my head hurts worse."

He walked up behind the couch, brushed some of her hair out of the way and began to rub her shoulders firmly, yet gently.

She almost jumped as he touched her shoulder, but sighed and relaxed once she realized what he was trying to do, closing her eyes, allowing him to rub her shoulders and neck.

He continued to rub her for a few minutes before he leaned down and began to kiss her shoulder lightly, making his way to her neck and ear. Her breathing began to quicken in response.

He climbed over the couch, pulled her close and began to kiss her lips passionately, his hands going up her shirt, her hands grasping him tightly, digging her nails into his back. He was about to pull the shirt from her back when the door to the motel slammed closed, both of them startled, almost falling off the couch.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Dean said irritably as he threw his jacket onto a chair.

Sam looked apologetically at his brother. "Sorry, was helping Jessie with her shoulder and—"

"Since when is her shoulder on her face?"

He rolled his eyes in response.

Jessie climbed off of the couch heading for the door. But before she could turn the knob, Dean grabbed her wrist.

"Don't leave on my account."

She pulled her hand free, shaking her head wearily. "I need to leave, Dean. I need sleep."

"You could always stay on the couch again," he suggested.

She glanced at Sam, smiling slightly. "No. I think it's better if I sleep in my own room for tonight."

"Aren't you forgetting your stuff?"

"I have to get a room first, Dean. Are you sure you weren't the one beaten up by a ghost tonight?" she asked sarcastically before slipping out of the door.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked as he flopped onto the couch beside his brother.

He told his brother the story of what happened while they were at the bed and breakfast.

Jessie walked back into the room almost immediately after Sam had finished his story. She glanced at each of them suspiciously before grabbing her dufflebag.

"I'll see you both in the morning," she said, hoisting the bag onto her good shoulder.

"Wait," Sam said, walking over and wrapping his arms around her. "I was gonna ask if you're okay, but, I was afraid you'd bite my head off."

She smiled, shaking her head. "It's okay, Sam. I understand your concern, but, that's not the problem we have."

"Would you like to tell me what is?"

She glanced quickly at Dean before turning her attention back to him.

"I can hunt, Sam. I've been doing it for many years without you. And, as it turns out, this time I got hurt. It happens. And it wasn't your fault, but you're blaming yourself, aren't you?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Let me ask you this. If I had been your brother, would you be feeling the same way?"

He looked like he was thinking before he finally answered.

"No."

She sighed in irritation, although she'd already known the answer.

"When we're hunting, you need to think of me as another hunter, like your brother. It's the only way I'm gonna keep hunting with you, Sam."

"But—"

"No buts, Sam. We can't hunt like that. It's too dangerous."

"She's right you know, Sammy," Dean said with a self-righteous grin.

She shot him a warning glance, which stopped his smirking.

"You're right, Jessie," he agreed.

"I could never tire of hearing that," she replied jokingly.

He smiled, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead. "Sleep well."

She returned his smile. "You too."

He watched her until the door was fully closed, before turning around to face his brother.

"I think you left some details out, Sammy."

"Shut up, Dean."

"No, I don't think so. If you aren't going to listen to her, than you better listen to me."

"Cause you know everything, right?"

"No, I don't. But I told you before that you have to treat her like another hunter when we're on a job. If you can't do that then she shouldn't be with us."

He snorted. "Right. You're just saying that because you don't want her with us."

"What?" he said in disbelief. "How could you even say that to me? I've been pushing for the two of you to be together."

"Then what was your problem when you walked in on us kissing?"

He laughed in disbelief, shaking his head. "You thought I was angry about that? Seriously?"

"What then?"

"I just dug up a grave, Sam. I was tired and bitchy. I think I'm entitled."

"Oh."

"Wow, dude! You're batting oh for two tonight."

Sam rolled his eyes as his brother laughed at him. And when it became apparent his brother was going to continue to tease him, he decided to take a shower. A cold shower.

Jessie went out to her car to retrieve her laptop before she headed into her motel room. She threw her dufflebag on the couch, while tossing her laptop on the bed.

After she had a few drinks, she took a couple of aspirin, put some comfortable clothes on and sat in bed with her laptop. Her head was still hurting a little as well as her shoulder and she couldn't get Sam out of her mind, despite being slightly irritated with him. So she did what she did best to get her mind off of things. She began to scour news sites looking for a new case.

She fell asleep a few hours later while sitting up in bed with her laptop open.

She was awakened several hours later when she heard a knock at the door. She was surprised to have fallen asleep with her laptop, pushing it aside as she rolled over to stretch. When she heard another knock at the door, this one sounding very impatient, she called out asking them to wait.

After she'd stretched and climbed out of bed, she strolled to the door slowly, rubbing her eyes as she opened the door. She held it open until Sam walked in, closing it behind him.

"Couldn't you let me sleep a bit longer?" she asked wearily.

He smiled, handing her a coffee. "I left you alone for eight hours. Isn't that long enough?"

She smiled in thanks, taking the coffee. "I didn't go to sleep right away."

He wrapped his free arm around her waist. "Did you need a cold shower, too?"

She laughed lightly. "No, I didn't go that far."

"Well," he said almost nervously. "Dean wants us to spend the day together."

"He does, does he?" she asked suspiciously.

"He suggested we need some alone time."

"Alone time?"

He smiled. "He just thinks we needed some after our disagreement last night." Then he added. "Plus, I think he needs to have some alone time of his own."

"Okay," she said with an impish grin. "Why don't you join me in the shower? Or you can wait until I'm done?"

Once he set his coffee down, he grabbed her roughly, kissing her. She was caught off guard by his sudden response, almost dropping the coffee out of her own hands.

After taking a shower together, they went out and had breakfast. And since they were unsure what to do after breakfast, Jessie decided to do a bit of shopping, since it had been awhile. She really needed some new clothes. Most of her casual clothes had holes, or blood stains on them. She thought Sam was going to protest, but he didn't.

After shopping, they grabbed lunch to go, then went back to the motel room. They spent much of the afternoon talking or making love, then went out for a nice dinner.

After dinner, they spent much of the evening in bed, although most of that time was spent talking.

It had been a very long time since Jessie had felt comfortable enough with someone to open up and tell them things she'd never told another living soul. But Sam made her feel that way. She still kept many things to herself, there were some secrets she could never tell anyone, but she did tell him many things she'd only shared with Bobby, and a few even he didn't know about. And in return, Sam told her things that he'd never shared with anyone, including Dean. Both of them even talked about their exes. And at some point, they both fell asleep in each others arms.

In the middle of the night, Jessie woke up and was unable to get back to sleep. She tried every position to get comfortable in, but nothing helped. So she climbed out of bed as carefully as she could, hoping not to wake Sam and began to surf the web looking for a case. She found one almost immediately and it wasn't far away from where they were at the moment. As much as she loved to spend time with Sam, she enjoyed her job too much to climb back into bed and forget about it so easily.

The sun was just beginning to rise when she left the motel to get herself, and Sam, coffee. He was sitting up in bed waiting for her when she arrived. He seemed less than thrilled that she'd been gone, but he never said anything so she let it pass.

"Good morning," he greeted her with a smile as he took the proffered coffee.

"Morning, Sam," she smiled coyly.

"You're so cute sometimes," he said with a teasing grin.

She rolled her eyes, turning away so he couldn't see her blush.

"Don't call me cute. I'm not cute," she protested.

He laughed, changing the subject quickly. "How long have you been up for?"

"I dunno, a couple of hours."

"You couldn't sleep?"

"No. I wasn't tired I guess."  
>He laughed. "Well I was exhausted. I don't know how you weren't after yesterday's marathon."<p>

She glanced at him teasingly. "You're two years younger than me, Sam. I guess you're just out of shape."

"Yeah, that's it," he replied sarcastically.

She turned around to grin teasingly when there was a knock at the door, then almost immediately Dean walked in.

"I hope you two are decent," he said as he closed the door behind him.

"I'm dressed, Dean, but never decent," she joked.

He laughed. "Looks like someone's in a good mood."

"Yeah, you too, Dean. Guess you finally got lucky, huh?"

Sam laughed.

"Guilty," he replied.

"Good," she replied with a wink.

"So what are we up to next?" he asked no one in particular.

"I found a case for us," she replied quickly.

"You sure do like to work, don't you?"

"What else is there, Dean? Having a life?"

"You got me there."

She took a sip of her coffee before saying anything else.

"I didn't have to search too far to find a case," she began. "It's only about four hours away in New Paltz, New York." She thought she noticed a look pass between the brothers, but she brushed it off as her imagination and continued. "There was this man named Daniel Blake, he owned an auction house. Seems he was found in his house two days ago, his inner organs basically liquified, yet his body was untouched. There was no evidence of foul play or break and enter, and, his security alarm was armed and active at the time. His daughter, Sarah Blake, was the one who found him."

This time she was positive the brothers were exchanging some sort of meaningful message in their glances suddenly making her feel like a third wheel.

"What?" she asked with frustration.

Sam looked away, making her feel even more suspicious.

"Is that the only case you found?" Dean asked awkwardly.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Yeah, why?"

"No reason."

She shook her head angrily. "It's always one step forward, two steps back with the two of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "One minute I'm part of the Scooby gang and the next you're making goo goo eyes at each other, pretending I'm not even here."

"Goo goo eyes?" he said with a laugh.

"Oh, shut up, Dean!"

He shot his brother a furtive glance. "It's just that we've had a case in New Paltz before."

"Good. Then you should know the area."

He turned, looking at his brother apprehensively, shrugging his shoulders. Sam could only shrug his shoulders in response.

Jessie was very suspicious about their behaviour, but she didn't want to worry about it at the moment. She'd been in a good mood after such a wonderful time the day, and night, before. She figured whatever it was that was going on she would find out eventually. She could always deal with it then.

She began to pack her belongings, kicking the boys out of the room so they could go do the same. She also changed into something a little more professional looking. When she was ready, which was only a few minutes later, she packed up her car, then walked to the door of their motel room. As she was about to knock on the door, she heard raised voices, making her stop in her tracks wondering if she should listen. She knew she shouldn't—it wasn't right—but her curiosity got the best of her.

"If you're not going to tell her than I am, Sam," Dean said.

"Why should I have to say anything?"

"Because that's what's right."

"That's what's right? Since when are you the morality police?"

"Whatever, Sam. You can deal with the fall out on your own then."

Suddenly the voices became too quiet to hear anything more than a mumble.

She wasn't quite sure what to think, but what she did know was Sam was keeping something from her. She just had no clue what to do about it. She didn't want to admit to eavesdropping, but she wasn't sure she could keep it to herself. As she was trying to decide, the door to the motel opened and Dean nearly ran into her.

"Sorry," she said in surprise. "I was just about to knock."

"We're good to go," he said as he slung his dufflebag over his shoulder. "Sam should be ready in a minute."

He passed by without another word, packing up the Impala, leaving her standing alone.

She walked into the motel room to find Sam grabbing the last of his belongings. He smiled when he noticed her standing there, but it seemed a little awkward.

"I'm gonna head out now, Sam," she said nonchalantly.

"What about breakfast?"

"I'll grab something on the go. I'm not really hungry."

He approached her with his free arm extended to give her a one-armed hug, but she backed away slightly to avoid it.

"I'll see you when we get to New Paltz," she said quickly.

She turned and left as quickly as she could without making it seem obvious she was upset, passing by Dean without giving him a second glance.

She jumped into her car, quickly driving away before she even buckled up, which was unlike her. She squealed the tires as she peeled out of the parking lot, before slowing down and buckling her seat belt.

She did as she told Sam she was going to do, driving by a fast food restaurant and grabbing a breakfast sandwich and a coffee so she could eat while she was driving. She ignored her phone, not even bothering to see who it was that was calling. She wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone. She kept driving until she made it to New Paltz.

She stopped by the dead man's house, but no one was there, so she drove to the auction house he'd once owned, parking just out of eye shot of the building. She picked up her phone to see who the missed call was from and was surprised to find out it was from Mike. She didn't have time to call him, so she texted him letting him know she'd call him as soon as she wasn't busy, unless it was an emergency.

While she was waiting for the Winchesters to arrive, she began to hack into the local police database to see if there was any information they were keeping from the papers. After pouring through several police reports, she found nothing that was worth the trouble she'd gone through to read them.

She heard the Impala coming down the road before she could see it. Dean pulled off the road, parking in the space in front of her car. When she didn't immediately get out of her car, both of the brothers climbed out and walked to her car, standing by the driver's side.

She climbed out of the car, straightening her dress pants before turning to face the brothers.

"I just finished reading the police reports," she said in a very businesslike manner. "There wasn't anything useful in any of it. However, we might get more if we can get a look at the body."

"You had time to do all of that already?" Dean asked with surprise.

"I guess I just drive faster than you," she replied in a snarky voice.

He looked like he was about to say something, but he didn't. Instead he nodded at his brother, both turning around to head into the auction house. Jessie following behind them.

They walked into the auction house looking for someone to help them, but they saw no one in the immediate area. As they walked farther in the building, they came across a dark-haired woman who was standing by a wooden crate with her back turned to them.

She turned around as they approached, smiling brightly.

"Oh my god, Sam!" she exclaimed, hugging him.

He hugged her back awkwardly for only a moment before pulling away.

"It's so nice to see you again, Sam, Dean," she said while looking at each in return. She stopped as she glanced the other way spying Jessie.

"This is, Jessie Drake," Sam said awkwardly, turning to Jessie. "This is, Sarah Blake."

Jessie shot him a quick look of irritation before stretching her hand to greet her.

"Nice to meet you, Sarah," she said with insincerity.

"Same here," Sarah replied shaking her hand.

"I wish we were here under better circumstances," Dean said in an attempt to break the tension.

"Thanks, Dean," she replied ruefully before glancing at Sam again. "I had been hoping the two of you would show up."

"How's that?" Sam asked.

"Who else could help me with something like this?"

The boys laughed awkwardly, but Jessie found nothing amusing in the whole situation.

"Can you tell us what happened?" she asked, hoping to get out of the increasingly awkward situation as quickly as possible.

Sarah nodded her head, frowning. "A couple of days before my father died he told me he'd been seeing things. When I asked him more about it he would tell me he thought it was a ghost, but then he told me he was probably seeing things because he wasn't sleeping well."

"Was his insomnia recent?"

"Yes. It began around the same time."

"Did anything else change?"

"I don't think so. I've been trying to figure out what he'd been up to before he starting seeing things, but I'm not sure. I've been so busy with work since I took over."

"You took over the auction house?" Sam asked with surprise.

"Yeah, a few weeks ago. I'm still getting the hang of being the boss."

Jessie shot Sam an irritated glance.

"Would we be able to have a look through his house, Sarah?" she asked.

"Yes, absolutely," she replied. "If you'll give me a few minutes I'll go get the keys."

She excused herself, leaving the room quickly.

As soon as she'd left the room, Jessie turned to Sam with a furious look.

"Not a word, Sam," she warned. "I'd like to at least _act_ professional while we're working."

The three of them spent several awkward minutes silent while they waited for Sarah to return.

When she returned, she handed the keys to Jessie, then turned to Sam.

"I'd love to go out to dinner with you if you get the time," she said with a suggestive smile.

"Uh, well, I, uh, I don't know, Sarah," he stammered.

"It's okay, Sam," she replied with disappointment.

"We'll let you know what we find," Jessie said, turning quickly and leaving. She didn't stop until she made it to her car.

She sat on the hood of her car while she was waiting for Sam and Dean, doing her best not to brood. She was both angry and disappointed with Sam for keeping his previous relationship with Sarah a secret, but at the same time, she was angry and disappointed in herself. She knew they'd been hiding something, but not in her wildest imagination had she even thought it could be something like this.

She climbed down from the hood of her car as the brothers approached, shooting Sam a warning glance, but he seemed like he was choosing to ignore it.

"I'm sorry, Jessie," he said regretfully. "I sh—"

"Enough, Sam!" she replied firmly. "We're on a case and that comes before personal issues. I'm gonna go search the dead man's house. You and your brother can go to the morgue. Unless you have a problem with that?"

She could tell by his look that he wasn't about to argue with her and either was Dean.

"Fine. Call me when you're done, unless I call you first," she said, before getting into her car without waiting for a reply.

She started the car and drove away before the brothers even had a chance to react.

"Dammit, Sammy," Dean said while shaking his head. "You've really screwed up this time."

He rolled his eyes but didn't respond to his admonishment, not when he knew his brother was right.

"Let's just go, Dean," he snapped.

Dean wanted to punch his brother for acting so stupid, but he figured Jessie would probably hurt him more than he ever could. He shook his head, watching his brother climb into the Impala, before hopping into the driver's side and driving off to the morgue.

**A/N: A short teaser chapter *wink* How long do you think work will come before their personal issues? And what do you think of me choosing someone from Sam's past to bring into the story? I always liked Sarah Blake lol.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Jessie parked her car in front of Daniel Blake's house, glancing around while she approached the front door. After unlocking the door, she closed it behind her, walking through the hallway and into the livingroom, where his body had been found.

There were no marks on the floor where he'd been found, except a few boot marks left by the police. No blood, no fluids, nothing.

She began looking around at the art hanging on the walls as well as the shelves and the mantle. Being in the art auction business, he'd managed to collect quite a few pieces of art himself. Some of it she could appreciate, but some of it she found downright strange. However, there was one piece she was strangely drawn to, even though she found it kind of hideous looking.

She was about to touch the strange wooden figure when her instincts told her not to. There was something unusual with it, but she wasn't sure what. She felt it would be safer not to touch it. Instead, she took a picture of it with her phone and sent it to Bobby, just in case.

She decided to take out her EMF meter before she continued to look around, making sure to pass it by the wooden figure. It gave off a slight reading, but nothing that suggested it was a cursed object. However, she wasn't going to let it slip her mind, just in case.

She continued to search the house while checking the meter, but found only a trace of ghost activity. She was almost certain that a ghost was responsible, but she'd already researched the background of the house and the area and it seemed clean. Her mind went back to the strange figure.

She was about to examine the figure more closely when her phone went off, it was Dean.

"Hey, you find anything?" he asked.

"I don't know yet. What about you?"

"Uh, well, it's probably a good thing you didn't see the body. What a freak show."

"Can you meet me back at the auction house, Dean? I need to ask Sarah a few questions."

"Yeah, sure," he replied hesitantly.

"Hey. Why didn't Sam call me?"

There was a short pause before he answered.

"I thought it would be best if we put the case ahead of—the personal issues."

"I can be professional, Dean. But thank you," she replied as she disconnected the call. She was relieved she wasn't forced to talk to Sam at that moment.

She did another quick once over of the house before she locked it up and drove back to the auction house.

She didn't see the Impala when she arrived at the auction house, but she wasn't in the mood to wait. She climbed out of her car, walking into the auction house with trepidation. Her impatience winning out over her reluctance to talk to the woman who so obviously shared something with Sam in the past. Reminding herself that it was in the past should have helped, but somehow it didn't.

She found Sarah speaking with a group people, so she hung back until they left before approaching her.

"Hello again, Jessie," Sarah said as she turned towards her.

"I have a few questions for you if that's okay?"

She nodded.

"Did your father buy anything here at the auction recently?"

She paused to think for a moment before responding.

"Yes, actually he did. Why?"

"Would you happen to know what he purchased?"

"Uh, let me go find the receipt for it and I can tell you exactly what it was."

Jessie nodded in response.

Sarah left the room for a few minutes before returning with a couple of papers.

"I hope these will be useful," she said handing them to her.

Jessie began to flip through the receipts looking for the most recent one. It had a black and white image accompanying it, but she couldn't remember seeing this particular piece amongst his belongings. The others were familiar, she remembered seeing those. However, the wooden figure wasn't pictured in any of the receipts.

She gazed up from the papers to ask Sarah a question, to find her staring right at her.

"Is these something you'd like to ask me, Sarah?"

She looked surprised for a moment. "I was just wondering if I should ask you about Sam?"

She was slightly surprised, but not at all shocked.

"What about Sam?" she asked, trying to keep an even tone.

"I know it's not my place, but I was just wondering if—you and Sam were an item?"

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Why would you think that?"

"I saw how we was looking at you when you left earlier."

She raised her eyebrow in surprise. "Yeah, I suppose you could say we are. But I'd like to get back to my job."

"Of course," she replied with disappointment. "Is there anything else I can help with?"

She turned around when she heard footsteps, spying Sam and Dean, before turning back to Sarah.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about the old wooden box that your father purchased a few days back."

"What would you like to know?"

"Do you happen to know where it is?"

She shook her head looking confused. "It should be in his house with the rest of his stuff."

"And what about the wooden figure he has on his mantle? Where did that come from?"

"What wooden figure? What does it look like?"

"It looks like the figure of a man without arms, just the body and head with no defining features. It's made of wood and looks really old."

She seemed to ponder the question for a moment looking confused.

"I can't say I remember him owning anything like that."

"Do you have a better photo of the box than this?" Jessie asked as she shook the papers. "Preferably one with some color."

"No. I don't think so."

"I guess it'll have to do," she replied before turning to the Winchesters. "I'll meet you at my car," she said, immediately leaving the room.

Everyone stood in awkward silence for a few moments after she left.

"I'm so sorry, Sam," Sarah said regretfully. "If I had known that you and Jessie were together..."

"It's okay, Sarah, you didn't know," he replied. "I should have warned her before we got here."

"You didn't tell her? Why would you do that, Sam?"

"I was asking him the same thing," Dean said.

He shot his brother an irritated glance.

"I don't know why I didn't," he replied.

There was another moment of awkward silence before Sarah once again broke the tension.

"I really need to get back to work now. If there's anything else you need just let me know."

The boys nodded, watching her leave.

"Two good women, but not sure what either of them see in you, Sammy."

"Knock it off, Dean."

"No, I don't think I will."

"Fine. You were right. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

He laughed teasingly. "No, but thank you for confirming what I already know."

Sam rolled his eyes heavily, walking out of the room in a huff, his brother following close behind still chuckling.

When the brothers walked outside they noticed Jessie digging around in the trunk of her car. Curious, they both walked over to stand behind her to watch.

She pulled out a long, rectangular case that looked similar to a laptop, before turning around.

"Where's the nearest motel?" she asked.

"You can follow us," Dean replied reaching into his pocket for his keys.

"Yeah, fine," she said as she placed the object in her hands into the backseat then hopped into the driver's side to wait for Dean.

She followed the Impala to the nearest motel and checked out a room before retrieving her belongings from her car. She carried everything into her room setting it on the table, before plugging her laptop into the wall—the battery was almost dead—and plugged another wire into it from the object she'd pulled from her trunk.

"What is that?" Dean asked as he and his brother walked into the room.

She turned around with a strange look on her face.

"It's a scanner, Dean," she replied, plugging the power cord into the wall and sitting down at the table.

"Should I even ask what you're doing?"

She took the paper that Sarah had given her, placed it on the scanner, opening a program on her computer. Using it, she scanned the image from the paper.

"Well, if you must know, Dean. I'm trying to improve the quality of this image so I can read what's on the box in this picture."

"I don't understand the significance of the box?"

She turned around, slightly irritated, but she had to remember Dean had no idea what she'd found while she was at Daniel Blake's house.

"The box is the last thing that Daniel bought at auction, but I didn't find it at his house. However, I did find a wooden figure that gave off a slight reading on my EMF meter. _And_, Sarah said she doesn't remember her father owning the wooden figure."

"So you think they're connected?"

She was going to reply with a smartass remark, but she decided not to. She wasn't angry with Dean and he didn't deserve her hostility.

"Yes."

She did what she could to enlarge the image, sharpening it without loosing too much clarity. When she was happy with it, she emailed a copy of it to Bobby, hoping he would know what language it was.

"All we can do now is wait," she said as she stood up from the table.

"Good," Dean said quickly. "I'm starving so I'm gonna go grab something to eat. You want anything?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Just a sandwich, thank you," she replied handing him some money from her pocket.

He hesitated before taking the money, knowing she would protest if he didn't take it.

"Back soon," he said with a nod, leaving as quickly as possible.

Jessie stood gazing at Sam after Dean had left. She didn't know what to say to him but she could tell he wanted to talk. She was trying her best to stay calm and reasonable, despite her anger. She sat on the couch hoping he would follow her.

Sam followed her to the couch but he didn't sit, he couldn't. He felt it would be easier to speak if he wasn't so close to her.

"I'm sorry, Jessie," he began quietly. "I should have told you about Sarah before we got here."

She was quiet for a moment before saying anything.

"You're right, you should have. But the question is, why didn't you, Sam? Why couldn't you come out and be honest with me? Did you think I wouldn't find out? Is that what you were hoping for?"

"No, not at all," he stammered. "It was stupid of me not to say anything, I was just hoping...never mind."

She abruptly stood up from the couch to stand in front of him.

"What were you hoping? That Sarah wouldn't let the cat out of the bag?"

"No, I just—" he stopped to sigh loudly. "I just wanted to have a little more time with you without one more thing getting in the way."

She shook her head with dismay. "That's the thing, Sam. It didn't have to get in the way, if you'd just been honest with me. What? Did you think that I would be jealous or freak out or something?"

"Honestly, I don't know, Jessie. You're so difficult to figure out sometimes, I wasn't sure how you'd react."

She laughed once in disbelief. "So you're going to blame me for not being honest, is that it?"

"No, that's not what I meant," he replied with exasperation. "But it's not like you're always entirely honest with me."

She opened her mouth to respond then closed it abruptly. She wasn't sure how to respond to what he'd said, other than agree with him. She hadn't always been entirely honest with him, but it wasn't exactly the same thing, or even a similar motive.

"You're right, Sam," she replied in a calm voice. "But I also promised to be honest from now on, and I have been.

He stepped closer, grasping her by the arms. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."

She knew by the look in his eyes that he was sorry and she believed him. She wasn't even really angry, at least not with him. She was angry with herself. She knew she could be difficult, but as far as she knew she wasn't any different from the person he first met the night he saved her from a werewolf. Then suddenly she realized that was the problem. She hadn't really changed. She wanted things to be the way they always were, yet different. She couldn't have it both ways, not if she wanted things to work between her and Sam.

"I'm sorry, too," she said quietly. "I'm trying, really."

He pulled her into a tight embrace and held her tightly, neither of them speaking. It was several moments before Sam pulled away slightly, gazing into her eyes.

"I know you're trying, and so am I," he said while brushing a stray hair from her face. "If you stop trying, then I'll worry."

"Do you really think I'm gonna let you get away with this so easily?" she asked with a grin.

He smiled, leaned down and kissed her lightly. "Maybe, maybe not."

"Well, if Dean asks, tell him I gave you what for," she replied with a smirk.

As Sam leaned down to kiss her again, Dean burst into the room carrying two bags full of food.

"Oops, did I interrupt?" he said. "That's okay 'cause I don't care."

He placed the bags of food on the table, sat down and began to eat a burger.

Jessie laughed, slapped Sam playfully then sat at the table to eat her sandwich, while she continued to check her email.

She was finished half of her sandwich when she received an email about the case from Bobby.

"Damn," she said suddenly. "This is not good."

"What?" Sam asked.

"The writing on the box is Rigvedic Sanskrit."

"Is that supposed to mean something to us?" Dean mumbled with a mouthful of food.

She made a face of annoyance at his bad manners.

"It's a very old version of Sanskrit. So old it's almost impossible to translate."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

She rolled her eyes and turned to Sam.

"He says he thinks he's found someone to translate it, but it might take some time. He suggested that in the meantime, we stay out of Daniel's house and make sure everyone else does as well."

He nodded. "Okay. I better call Sarah and let her know."

She nodded keeping an even face, although she was bothered by how easily he'd volunteered to call her. She didn't want it to bother her, but it did.

She began surfing the internet looking for information while she finished the other half of her sandwich. By accident, she came across an image that looked very similar to the wooden figure on the dead man's mantle.

"No one could find Sarah so I got her cell number and she's not answering it," Sam said with agitation.

"We have worse problems than that, Sam," Jessie replied looking up from her computer screen. "If this thing is what I think it is, we're in big trouble."

"What is it?"

"I'll explain in the car. We better get to Daniel's house," she said jumping up from the table. "You're driving, Dean, let's go."

The three of them jumped into the Impala, heading to Daniel Blake's house as fast as Dean could drive. On the way, Jessie explained what she'd learned about the wooden figure, then called Bobby to let him know he would need to contact her by phone.

"How the hell are we gonna stop this thing?" Dean said as he pulled into Daniel's driveway.

"I don't know, Dean," Jessie replied as she double checked her gun was loaded. "It's a spirit so salt should work, but it's not gonna stop it."

"How the hell do we stop it?"

"We can't. Not until we get that translation," she replied, climbing out of the car quickly.

Dean and Sam followed closely behind her, walking past Sarah's car and up the drive when they heard a scream from inside.

Jessie was the first through the door, her gun held in front of her. She ran into the livingroom in time to see a shadowy spirit standing above Sarah who was lying on the ground. She squeezed off a few rounds into the spirit making it disappear for the moment.

"Did you touch the wooden figure, Sarah?" Jessie asked as she helped her to her feet.

"No."

Jessie turned to the Winchesters. "Let's get outta here."

Both of the boys nodded following behind the ladies, but before they could get to the door it slammed closed, locking them in.

"It doesn't want us to leave," Sam said glancing around.

"This feels like deja vu," Sarah said quietly.

"Yeah."

Jessie rolled her eyes, which Dean noticed, shooting her an understanding look in return.

"So, what's the plan?" Sarah asked fearfully.

The three hunters traded looks of confusion, until Jessie's phone rang.

"Whatcha got, Bobby?" she asked as she switched her phone to speaker.

"The spirit is bound to that wooden figure. It can't stray far from it and it won't stop until it kills anyone who touches it."

"Okay, that's great, Bobby, but how the hell do we get rid of it?"

"You gotta find that box, then read the inscription. Once you do that, you stick the damn figure back in the box and close it tight."

"That's fine and dandy, Bobby, but even if I knew where the box was, how the hell am I gonna read what it says?"

She heard him sigh loudly.

"I'll help you with that, just find that damn box!"

She looked at the boys. "What're you waiting for?"

They shot each other a knowing look, one that didn't escape Jessie.

"I'll look after, Sarah. Go!"

The boys ran off into the house, their guns raised ahead of them, their eyes sweeping the entire room while they searched.

"Sarah. Do you have any idea where your dad might have left that box?"

"I don't know. I checked his safe but it wasn't there."

She was about to ask her another question when the spirit appeared behind Sarah.

She pushed her out of the way, raised her gun quickly, pulling off two rounds in quick succession, both of which hit their target. The ghost disappeared as quickly as it had shown up.

She nudged Sarah forward, directing her upstairs. They frantically searched her father's bedroom first, finding nothing.

"I think I know where it might be," she said, leading Jessie out of her father's bedroom and into another room. "This is my dad's office. Sometimes he locks stuff up in his desk."

Sarah tried to open the desk drawer but it was locked. She began frantically searching the desk for the key, until Jessie told her to step out of the way, shooting the lock.

"Sorry, we don't have time for that," she said as she wrenched the large desk drawer open.

"There it is!" Sarah said as Jessie pulled it out of the drawer.

"Let's get our asses back downstairs," she said directing Sarah to walk ahead of her.

The ladies managed to run downstairs without a reappearance of the spirit. Instead, it appeared in the threshhold between the hallway and the livingroom, where the wooden figure was, obviously trying to stop them. Jessie aimed her gun, but the spirit disappeared before she could take a shot.

Moments later, she noticed Sam and Dean running towards them their guns raised. She only had enough time to grab a hold of Sarah and pull her to the ground, barely avoiding the grasp of the spirit. She heard two gunshots ring out then the angry wail of the spirit as it disappeared once again.

"Damn, that thing is quick," Dean said as he helped Sarah to her feet.

Sam reached out to help Jessie but she'd already managed to stand up. She shot him a thankful smile before shoving her gun into her belt and retrieving her phone from her pocket.

"I'm ready, Bobby," she yelled as she placed the phone up to her ear, walking into the livingroom.

As she approached the wooden figure, the spirit began to reappear and disappear around the room rapidly. The Winchesters directed Sarah to get down on the floor while they continued trying to keep the spirit from Jessie. All that could be heard were gunshots, the wail of the ancient spirit when it was hit and Jessie's recitation of the writing on the box, as told to her over the phone from Bobby.

As she finished reciting the spell on the box, the spirit managed to get close enough to her to touch her for only a moment, before Dean managed to shoot it. The pain that coursed through her body from that single touch was intense, making her lose her grip on the box. It dropped to the ground, rolling away from her.

"Grab it," she said through clenched teeth.

Sam scooped the box off of the ground while Dean covered him, holding the box out for Jessie. As she reached for the wooden figure, the spirit began reappearing and disappearing much more rapidly, making it difficult to shoot at safely. It dashed straight at Jessie and Sam making Dean hesitate before shooting, not wanting to hit either of them. The bullets missed their target, but they did happen to ricochet off the wall and graze both Sam and Jessie.

Regardless of the pain, Jessie managed to grab the wooden figure, reciting the last few words of the spell. Suddenly there was a bright light emitted from the figure and a force that pushed outwards, knocking each of them backwards slightly. It was almost enough to cause her to lose grip on the figure and the box, but she managed to keep a tight grip on both. With one fluid movement, she threw the figure into the box and closed it tightly.

"Is it over?" Sarah asked apprehensively as she stood up.

"Yeah, I think so," Dean replied breathlessly.

Sam moved closer to Jessie placing his arm around her.

"You okay?" he asked quietly while leaning close to her.

She looked up into his eyes nodding her head. "I'm fine."

He looked down, noticing the blood on her leg. "Are you sure?"

She glanced down at her leg, moving it from side to side.

"Yeah, just grazed," she replied glancing at him. "What about you?"

"Same."

"Now that we've established everyone's okay, let's get the hell outta here. I need a drink," Dean said as he tucked his gun into his pants.

"Let me take you all out for dinner and drinks," Sarah offered. "It's the least I can do."

Both Sam and Dean glanced over at Jessie as if they were waiting for her response.

"That would be great, Sarah," she replied with a weak smile. "Just let us go back to our motel and get changed."

"Okay."

After some uncomfortable 'see you laters', The Winchesters and Jessie drove back to their motel room.

**A/N: Do you think Jessie is past the lie or not? It seems like she took it pretty well, but will it come to bite them in the ass later? **

**Thanks for reading!**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The Winchesters and Jessie drove back to the motel room in complete silence. Neither of the boys seemed to be in the mood to make small talk and Jessie definitely wasn't. Her head was aching and so was her leg, where she'd been grazed by one of Dean's bullets.

Once they were in the motel room, Jessie flopped onto the couch while Sam hovered nearby. Dean, noticing the tension in the room, excused himself, leaving the room to grab himself a beer.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked as he sat beside her, laying a supportive hand on her knee.

"My head is aching and my leg hurts, but otherwise I'm okay," she replied with a slight smile.

"What happened to your leg?" he asked in surprise.

"One of Dean's bullets grazed it."

She tried to pull her pant leg up to look at it, but her jeans were too tight. So after a moments thought, she stood up and pulled down her pants.

He moved closer, taking a good look at it before deciding she was okay.

"Nothing a bandage can't handle," he said with a smile.

As he stood up, Jessie noticed some blood on the back of his jeans.

"Did you get hit, too?"

He shrugged his shoulders looking surprised.

She grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him around. As soon as she saw where the blood was, she released an involuntary giggle, then covered her mouth to stop herself from doing it again.

"What's so funny?" he asked with annoyance.

"You got shot in the ass and you didn't even notice," she replied trying to stifle a smile.

"What?" he said as he tried desperately to look for himself.

She laughed at him until he shot her an annoyed look.

"Just pull your pants down and let me see."

He hesitated for a moment before pulling down his pants and his underwear.

She leaned in close to his butt cheek to get a closer look.

"It's nothing more than a scrape, Sam," she replied as she slapped his other butt cheek playfully with a grin. "Which is a good thing 'cause you have such a nice ass."

He pulled his pants up quickly before pulling Jessie into his arms and kissing her lightly.

"Thank you," he said softly as he pulled away slightly.

"For what?" she asked curiously.

"For being you."

She looked at him teasingly. "Are you sure you didn't hurt your head too?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. I was just happy to see you accept Sarah's invitation for dinner."

"Why wouldn't I, Sam?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe you'd be happy never to see her again."

She smiled. "Im not gonna lie and say I wasn't jealous, Sam. But I actually like her. She's pretty cool."

He smiled, pulled her close and kissed her deeply, until his brother walked in, slamming the door loudly behind him.

"Are we gonna get ready or what?" he asked impatiently.

Jessie rolled her eyes, let go of Sam, grabbed her dufflebag and headed into the bathroom to change into something more appropriate for a nice dinner, which meant nothing with rips or blood stains. When she was done, she walked into the main room to find Sam already changed and waiting.

With no argument, Jessie allowed Dean to take his car, riding along with no complaints. He seemed to be surprised but Sam wasn't. He assumed she was trying to get along with Dean for his sake.

The dinner was pleasant, if not a little awkward. Jessie really was enjoying herself, although she was being a little reserved. Her thoughts were turned inward and had been since she had changed her clothes earlier. She blamed her silence on the pain she was in, but Sarah seemed to know there was more to it.

Jessie had excused herself, heading to the bathroom for a moment alone. Sarah following her a minute later.

"Are you okay, Jessie?" she asked as she walked in, spying her splashing water on her face.

She wiped her face dry with a paper towel before glancing in her direction.

"I'm fine, Sarah."

"It's not me, is it?"

She smiled slightly. "No, it's not you, and, it's not, Sam."

"So the two of you are okay now?"

"I think we are. Why do you ask?"

"Sam's a good guy. He deserves to be happy."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Sarah."

She was silent, glancing at her pensively before saying more.

"You're good for him, Jessie. And I can see how crazy he is about you. I just wanted you to know that I wish you the best."

She smiled, nodding her head slightly. "Thanks, Sarah. That means a lot."

There was a moment of silence before Sarah grinned.

"We better get back to the table or the guys are gonna think we killed each other or something."

Jessie laughed as she followed Sarah from the bathroom and back to the table.

"What's so funny?" Dean asked as the ladies sat down.

"Your face is, Dean," Jessie replied teasingly.

"Ha, ha," he laughed mockingly.

The rest of the dinner went by well for everyone. Jessie genuinely had a good time and she found she really liked Sarah. If she had time for friends, she thought she would have liked to be friends with her, despite her past with Sam.

When the three of them arrived back at the motel room, Jessie was much more quiet and reserved than she had been only minutes before. She had been sufficiently distracted during the dinner, but now her mind was left alone once again to think. Not waiting for a discussion, she retrieved a blanket and pillow and began to prepare the couch to sleep.

"Jessie," Sam called as she laid out the blanket.

"Sam," she replied turning to face him.

"What're you doing?"

"I'm getting ready for bed, what does it look like?"

He took a few steps closer until he was standing beside her.

"What's going on?" he asked with concern. "Your emotions have been flip-flopping around all night."

She tried not to look too solemn, but she was finding it difficult.

"Can we talk about this in the morning, please?" she begged. "I'm sore and tired. I just really need my sleep."

He gazed at her with concern, nodding his head gently in acquiescence.

"Thank you, Sam," she said quietly, before kissing him gently on the cheek.

He watched quietly while she climbed under the covers, turned to face the back of the couch and became still. He was worried about her but he figured a good night's sleep was probably all she needed. At least that was what he was hoping.

Jessie woke up early the next morning before either of the brothers. Her physical problems felt better from a good night's sleep, but her mental state wasn't much better than it had been before she'd drifted off to sleep.

After she quickly changed her clothes in the bathroom, she left to get some coffee for herself and the Winchesters. Both of them were awake when she came back with the coffee. She'd expected an admonishment for leaving without letting anyone know she was leaving, but Sam didn't even look concerned, which she was pleased to see.

"How're you feeling this morning, Jessie?" Sam asked as she handed him a coffee.

"Physically I'm good," she replied, handing Dean a coffee.

"And mentally?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She drew in a long breath, releasing it slowly. "Can we talk about that when we're alone?"

He looked curious and confused, shooting a knowing look at his brother.

Dean rolled his eyes, sighing exaggeratingly. "Fine. I'll go grab us some breakfast."

Jessie waited until Dean had left before walking over to the couch and sitting down. She hesitated a moment after Sam sat down before turning towards him.

"Before I tell you this, I want you to know this has nothing to do with you."

"Okay," he replied looking both concerned and confused.

"I'm going to be leaving for my house shortly. I need to have a few days to myself."

"Is it something I did, or Dean?"

She shook her head. "No, Sam, it has nothing to do with you or even Dean. The truth is, today is an anniversary of sorts and I almost didn't remember. That in itself kind of upset me." Sam opened his mouth to say something, but she interrupted before he had a chance to say anything.

"Today is the day that nine years ago I had to kill my grandfather. I'm usually incapacitated by grief, but, I guess, I don't know–"

He laid his hand on her shoulder looking solemn. "I'm sorry, Jessie, I didn't know."

"I know, it's fine. I just need some time alone at home. Can you give me that, Sam?"

"If you promise to take care of yourself."

She smiled, taking his hand into hers. "Of course I will. Just promise not to contact me unless I contact you."

He hesitated, unsure if he should agree, but he could tell it meant a lot to her, so he relented.

"After I stay at my house for a few days, I'm gonna head to Bobby's to spend a few days with him. I'll call you then."

He leaned in closely, kissing her once gently on the lips. "When are you leaving?"

"Right away," she replied regretfully.

He smiled as he pulled her into a tight embrace, whispering into her ear, "I love you."

She hugged him back tightly, whispering the same in his ear, before pulling herself from his embrace. She knew if she hesitated she wouldn't want to leave, so she immediately began to pack her belongings, with the help of Sam.

Once she was packed, she took one long glance at Sam before walking to the door. She was about to turn the knob when Dean came flying in carrying a paper bag from some restaurant.

"What's going on?" he asked while chewing his breakfast.

"I'm leaving for a few days, Dean. Sam can fill you in," she replied.

He shot her a curious glance before shooting the same one at his brother, who could only shrug in response.

"Here," Dean said as he reached inside the paper bag, pulling out a breakfast wrap and handing it to Jessie.

She took the wrap from him, smiling.

"Thanks, Dean," she said before turning on her heel and walking out of the door.

Jessie threw her bag, laptop and scanner into the backseat of her Caprice and began the long drive home. She drove for almost ten hours before she had to stop from a bathroom break, and something to eat. As soon as she was done, she headed back on the road and didn't stop again until she was home.

It was early in the morning when she arrived at her house. The sky was still pitch black and the air had a coolness to it, although she could also feel a warmth in the air that seemed to promise a warm day.

She grabbed the dufflebag from her backseat and dragged it into the house, throwing it haphazardly onto the couch. After checking she locked her door and set her alarm properly, she hauled her exhausted body upstairs, flopped onto her bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

When Jessie finally awakened it was already late morning. After changing into some clean clothes, she went into the kitchen to find something to eat. She'd forgotten to stop at a store to grab some bread before returning home, so she opened a can of chicken noodle soup to have for breakfast. She would have waited until she could go to the store if she hadn't been so hungry. She now regretted skipping a few meals the day before.

After cleaning up, she walked outside into the warm early June day. The sun was almost completely overhead and was bright in her eyes. She returned to the house to retrieve her sunglasses before heading back out into the backyard.

She pulled a bunch of peonies from one of the gardens as she walked passed it, then continued walking until she reached the place where her family was buried.

The apple trees had been in bloom recently. The discarded dried up blooms were strewn across the grass around them. She wished she could have been home when they bloomed, they always reminded her of her grandfather.

After placing a solitary flower on the spot where her parents, sister and grandmother were buried, she placed the remaining bunch of flowers where her grandfather was buried, then flopped onto the ground sitting cross-legged.

She sat in the shade of the apple trees for a long time just thinking about the past. Sometimes tears would fall, but she was able to keep herself from completely breaking down.

She thought about her grandfather, wondering if he would be proud of her. She came to her own conclusion, assuming he might be proud of her now, but up until a few months ago she figured he wouldn't have been. She hadn't realized how cold and aloof she had really been, or how lonely she really was until she'd met the Winchesters. She may have become a good hunter, but it was at the expense of a social life.

She was about to get up from the ground when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching in the grass behind her. Instinctively she reached for her gun, which was in the pocket of her pants, but with the awkward position she was sitting in, she only managed to fall onto her side.

"Crowley!" she exclaimed as she tried to scramble to her feet.

"It's nice to see you again, my dear," he greeted her with a smirk.

Once she managed to get to her feet, she retrieved her handgun from her pants, only to have Crowley wave his hand lazily, sending it flying into the grass a short distance away.

"What do you want?" she asked furiously, although her body language said she was more frightened than angry.

"Can I not stop by just to visit?" he asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"No. Cut the games and tell me what you want."

His eyes narrowed as he glared at her.

"I just heard that you finally got smart and left the moose, so I came to see for myself."

She was silent for a moment while she pondered how to react.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Crowley, but I'm still with Sam."

"And I'm sorry to hear that, Jessie," he replied regretfully. "I guess I was wrong. You are as dimwitted as the Winchesters."

"Why?" she asked with frustration. "You've never given me a good reason why I shouldn't be with Sam, but somehow I'm supposed to believe a demon that it's a bad thing. That in itself tells me the opposite is probably true."

He chuckled lightly. "You can believe what you want, but I'm just trying to help you."

This time, she was the one who laughed.

"Do you seriously think I believe a word you say, Crowley? I might have some things in common with Sam and Dean, but trusting demons is not one of them."

"Maybe I was wrong," he replied with a grin. "Perhaps you are smarter than them after all."

She rolled her eyes with anger and frustration.

"Was there something else you wanted?"

He grinned furtively. "How did you enjoy your last case?"

She glared at him for a moment before a look of understanding passed in her eyes.

"The box. That was your doing, wasn't it?"

"Guilty."

"Why? Why would you do that to an innocent man?"

He sighed exaggeratedly. "You mean you have no idea? None at all?"

"It was about Sarah, wasn't it? You were hoping she would come between me and Sam."

His only response was a smirk.

"So you killed an innocent man in hopes that it _might_ break us up?"

He nodded in response. "I'm a demon, what can I say? Of course it could have killed you or perhaps even Sam. Then I wouldn't have to stand here speaking to you."

"Why don't you just kill me then, Crowley?"

He grinned. "I could arrange that if you'd like."

"Then do it," she replied, setting her hands on her hips defiantly.

He narrowed his eyes wondering if he should call her bluff or not.

"I'm not going to make it that easy on you."

She shook her head in disbelief.

"If you're not going to kill me then get the hell outta here."

She thought she noticed a strange kind of pride in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on her. His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing before he disappeared abruptly.

Jessie's brave façade fell away the moment he disappeared. She began to tremble slightly and her breathing began to come in ragged gasps. It took a few moments to gain control over her panic, but she did so as she took a series of long breaths to calm herself.

Once her mind had shifted back to survival mode, she went looking for her gun, which she quickly found, then almost ran into her house. She knew if nothing else, she would be safe from Crowley there. No demon would ever be able to get in.

She went in search of her phone, which she found lying by her dufflebag, which was still on the couch exactly where she'd left it. But as she held the phone in her hand, she wasn't sure who she should call. She knew if she called Sam, he would rush to the house and she wouldn't be able to have the alone time she needed. But she knew if she called Bobby, he would call the Winchesters.

After much thought, she decided to wait to tell anyone about Crowley. She needed some time to herself and she preferred to forget about demons for the time being.

Although she was hesitant about leaving the house again, she wasn't going to allow demons to keep her from living her life. She headed in to town shortly after Crowley's appearance to grab some perishables and toiletries, before stopping by Frank's bar to visit with Mike. She didn't stay long. He'd always known her way too well and he could tell something was bothering her. She tried to play it off as sadness because of the anniversary of her grandfather's death, but he didn't seem to buy it.

When she got home, she put her things away before going outside to weed the numerous gardens around the house and yard. She was pleased that the new person she'd hired to cut the grass was doing a good job, but he wasn't doing any of the extra things the previous man had done for her. She felt a tinge of guilt as she thought about him.

She was exhausted when she finally finished cleaning up the flower beds. She made herself a simple dinner, sat in front of the TV and fell fast asleep before the sun was even fully set.

The next day she spent tidying up the house. While it wasn't really dirty, it was dusty and had begun to collect cobwebs in the corners and behind open doors. She also took down the blinds, hosing them off outside and washed the curtains, before she steam cleaned the carpets and furniture.

She ate sparsely that day and decided to leave the dishes for the next day. She'd overworked herself and she was exhausted. She didn't even attempt to watch TV this time, she went straight upstairs to bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

After having breakfast and washing the dishes that morning, she decided she'd had more than enough alone time. In the time she'd spent alone, she realized she really had changed in the past couple months. And while she did like to have some alone time, she really missed Sam, and to a lesser extent, Dean. Even the anniversary of her grandfather's death couldn't incapacitate her like it had in previous years. For the first time in a long time she felt really and truly alive.

She packed everything she would need, made sure everything was closed and secure, then began the almost two hour drive to Bobby's house. She had thought about calling him beforehand, but she was hoping to surprise him.

When she pulled her car into the driveway, she glimpsed the Impala parked close to the house. She wasn't sure if she should be upset they would be at Bobby's waiting for her, but she realized it could be entirely innocent. After all, they didn't have any idea how long she'd been planning to stay at her home.

She walked into the kitchen quietly, being careful not to close the door too loudly. She could hear muffled voices coming from the library, so she walked softly through the kitchen door. But as she stepped into view of the assembled group, everyone became silent, turning around with a surprised look on their face. However, none of their faces were as surprised as hers as she glimpsed Castiel standing amongst the group.

"What's going on?" she asked anxiously.

Bobby and the Winchesters glanced at Castiel then back at Jessie.

"Well?" she asked impatiently.

"I should go," Castiel said before disappearing in the blink of an eye. The sound of wings flapping announcing his departure.

"Does this have something to do with Crowley?" she asked, fixing her eyes on Bobby.

"Why would you ask that?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "He came to pay me a visit the other day, but somehow I think you already knew that."

She noticed no one was surprised by her admission.

"Cas has been watching Crowley, trying to figure what he's been up to. He only just told us about the visit he made to your house," he replied.

"What did he tell you?"

He glanced quickly at Sam before turning his attention back to her.

"He didn't hear the entire conversation."

"Well let me give you all the gist of it then," she said with frustration. "He was the one that sent the box to Daniel Blake hoping it would cause problems between me and Sam. He obviously doesn't want us together. I did tell him just to kill me, but for some reason he wouldn't go for that."

The three men looked horrified as she spoke so matter-of-factly about offering herself up to Crowley.

"Well, Cas was there. Maybe that's why he didn't," Dean said.

She snorted. "Really, Dean? Do you really think Castiel would bother trying to stop him?"

"I think he would have."

She chuckled. "You think too highly of your angel friend, Dean."

He gazed at her angrily but didn't respond.

"What do you think Crowley wanted, Jess?" Sam asked with concern.

She hesitated when she realized what he had called her, but she decided not to let it bother her.

"I don't know what his real intention is, but he said he was trying to help me."

"Crowley trying to help you, that's rich," Dean said sarcastically.

She sighed loudly.

"My alone time didn't go exactly as planned, although nothing seems to be going that way lately," she said turning to Bobby. "But I'm here to fight another day _and_ I'm in one piece. I guess I can't ask for much more than that."

Bobby nodded his head and smiled. "And don't you forget it, kid."

She returned his smile. "Now that that's settled, when's lunch?"

He rolled his eyes teasingly with a smile then headed towards the kitchen, patting her on the shoulder affectionately as he passed by her.

Dean glanced at his brother and Jessie awkwardly for a moment before following Bobby into the kitchen.

Sam approached her almost reluctantly, unsure what kind of mood she was really in. But as he stood beside her, she wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled.

"Did you miss me?" she asked with a grin.

"Of course I did," he replied as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace.

She closed her eyes as she laid her head against his chest, holding him tightly. She'd missed him more than she realized until the moment she'd laid eyes on him again.

He stroked her hair until she finally opened her eyes and gazed up at him. He took that moment to lean down and kiss her lips lightly.

"I thought you were going to be angry with me," he said quietly as he brushed some hair from her face.

Her look remained even for a moment while she tried to figure out what he meant.

"For which thing, Sam? For speaking to Castiel about me, or for calling me Jess?" she asked impassively.

"Uh, both."

She continued to look impassive for a moment before smiling.

"It's okay, Sam. I'm not angry. I don't even care."

"You don't?" he asked with surprise.

"Nope. Not even a little."

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked jokingly.

She smiled. "Absolutely."

He looked like he didn't believe her, but he had no reason to think she was lying.

"The question is, Sam, are you mad at me?"

He looked at her questioningly. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because I didn't call to tell you about Crowley."

"Oh, well, I'm not mad about that."

"Why not?" she asked with surprise.

He smiled lightly, brushing her face lightly with his hand.

"You said you needed some time to yourself. I figured you would have told me, if Cas hadn't gotten to it first."

She returned his smile. "That was the plan. As usual, something had to interfere."

"I'm just glad you're okay."

They kissed lightly for a short time before walking into the kitchen, hand in hand, sitting at the table beside each other.

While everyone was eating a simple lunch that consisted of a sandwich and some soup, one of Bobby's phones began to go off. The Winchesters and Jessie listened to Bobby's end of the conversation hoping to figure out what was going on.

"Why would you call me about this? Can't you take care of this?" he asked, pausing for a response. "And there's no one else?" He rolled his eyes as he listened.

"I'll see what I can do," he said, hanging up the phone.

"What's going on, Bobby?" Dean asked.

"Uh," he said glancing at him. "Nothing for you to worry about."

Dean traded a questioning look with his brother, who looked like he was about to say something, when Bobby's phone went off again.

"I already told Chet that's not gonna happen," he said to the new caller after listening for a minute.

"What the hell?" Dean asked his brother.

He only shrugged his shoulders in response.

"She's not gonna do it and that's all there is to it," Bobby said as he glanced at Jessie. "You need to find someone else."

He began pacing around the room while the brothers were looking at Jessie curiously.

"She can't be the only person for the job. You need to look harder." He said angrily as he turned away from the table. "No! What part of that don't you understand!"

He was quiet for a moment before he hung up the phone, uttering, "Idjit."

"Bobby?" Jessie called, but was interrupted by her phone ringing.

She looked at the screen of her phone, raising an eyebrow before she answered it.

She was listening intently to the caller, her face changing from curious and confused to shock and dismay. Sam was concerned, but Bobby looked downright furious.

She said very little during the call, disconnecting it without so much as a bye.

"What is it, Jessie?" Sam asked with concern.

She looked at him for a moment before getting out of her seat and fixing her gaze on Bobby.

"Was that Malcolm?" he asked.

She nodded her head.

"He doesn't seem to understand what no means. I'm gonna call him back."

"No, Bobby, it's okay."

"No, it's not. I told him not to call you and that's exactly what he did. That idgit needs a good what for."

"Bobby," she said with a sigh. "Don't waste your breath."

"You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with, Jess. No one would think any less of you."

"But I would."

The brothers looked at each other with confusion, before Sam stood up from his seat. He walked over to Jessie, placed his arm around her back in support, but she shrugged it off.

"I'm gonna go get my stuff from the car," she said quickly, leaving the kitchen before anyone could say more.

"What was that all about, Bobby?" he asked.

"Oh no, this isn't my story to tell, Sam. You're just gonna have to get that out of her yourself."

He glanced at his brother who could only shrug.

Sam sighed. "Fine. I guess I'll go talk to her."

Bobby glanced at him with a smirk.

"Good luck, boy. You're gonna need it."

**A/N: I'm SO sorry it took so long to update. My hard drive finally failed and I had to make sure that was all it is before I replaced it. The bad part was, I had part of this chapter written and I hadn't had time to back it up before it died. I remembered the gist of it, so I just changed it a little. The part with Crowley might have been much better the first time I wrote it, but whatcha gonna do, right? lol. **

**It might be a bit before I update again, all depends. While I was unable to write, I had all kinds of ideas for my other fanfics, go figure. So while they're still fresh—ish in my mind I'm gonna try and get some of that written as well.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Jessie was dragging her laptop from the backseat of her car when Sam appeared behind her. His sudden appearance startled her so much, she dropped her laptop, but his reflexes were quick enough to catch it before it fell.

"Thank you, Sam," she said as he handed the laptop to her. "I don't know what I would've done if it had broken."

He narrowed his eyes slightly looking suspicious.

"Are you gonna try and change the subject?"

She looked at him with surprise. "I didn't know we'd begun to discuss anything."

"Come on, Jessie. You must know why I followed you out here."

She held her laptop across her chest looking guarded.

"I know what you want, but I'm not gonna talk to you about it right now."

"Why not?"

She shook her head and sighed exhaustively.

"Don't worry about this, okay? It's something really, really stupid. Trust me."

"Hunters are calling for you. They want you to do something that you won't, and somehow that's stupid?"

"Leave it alone, Sam!" she said harshly. "Stop pushing me!"

He was taken aback by her tone and the way she stormed off into the house with her dufflebag and laptop, slamming the kitchen door behind her. He waited a moment before walking back into the house.

Dean was laughing as he saw the look on his brother's face.

"You're real smooth there, Sammy."

"Shut up, Dean."

"That's enough out of you two," Bobby said as he walked into the kitchen from the livingroom. "Just leave Jess alone for now. I'm sure she'll come around on her own. She doesn't need you two idgits pushing her into something she isn't ready for."

Sam looked at Bobby with a worried expression, but he did nothing to assuage it.

It was a few hours before Jessie came downstairs. She walked into the kitchen to grab herself a drink, finding Bobby and the Winchesters sitting at the table drinking. Their heads turned as she entered, but they quickly glanced away when she looked in their direction.

After grabbing a beer from the fridge, Jessie sat at the table beside Bobby, facing the Winchesters.

"Fine," she said with a sigh. "I'm ready to talk about this."

They all looked at her with surprise.

"Are you sure, Jess?" Bobby asked.

She shook her head. "It's silly for me to be—embarrassed about this anymore."

He beamed proudly.

"First, I'm gonna tell you about the case that Chet and Malcolm called about."

She waited until the brothers stopped with the questioning looks before going on.

"In the late 1940's there was this singing competition show. Back then it was more like a game show kinda thing. The week started off with ten women and by the end there would only be five. The five women would get to move on to the next week, where five new contestants were chosen."

"This is all very interesting, but when are you gonna get to the point?" Dean asked impatiently.

Bobby shot him a stern look, quieting him instantly.

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before going on.

"The show wasn't like the ones you see now. The contestants were married women who stayed at the hotel where the show was filmed with their husbands. They got paid for each episode they managed to last through, but they had to stay in the hotel until they were kicked off the show."

She stopped to take a drink of her beer before going on again.

"The competition became very intense between both the women and their husbands and a few fights broke out, but that was nothing compared to what would happen. One night shortly after a particularly violent brawl, one of the women was found dead in her bed with her throat slit." She stopped quickly to take another drink before going on. "Three women were murdered before they caught up to the culprit trying to kill another woman. It was one of the husbands. There are different accounts about how he was killed, but the official cause was gunshot wound to the chest."

"So he was killed there?" Sam asked.

"Yes. And after he was killed, the show was cancelled by the network. The hotel went bankrupt soon after, there were several accounts of people seeing ghosts and it ruined the business. Over the years there have been several new owners, but none of them could keep the place going once the ghost rumors began to spread."

"I'm guessing that's changed recently?"

"Yup. Some television studio decided to purchase the building and revamp the old show. Only now, women are showing up murdered in their beds with their throats slit and no physical evidence, depite all the cameras around. Some people have said they've seen a ghost."

"How did they revamp the show?" Dean asked.

"Well, the only thing they've really changed is that now people can vote for their favorites, instead of judges making the choices."

"It's still married women with their husbands?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," she replied nervously.

He glanced at his brother with a sarcastic smile. "I guess we know who's gonna be checking this case out."

Sam narrowed his eyes at his brother, but it was Jessie who interrupted.

"That's the problem though Dean, I can't do it."

"Do what?"

"Work on this case."

"Why?" he asked with shock. "Are you afraid you won't get on to the show?"

She laughed ironically. "No, that's not it at all."

"Are you fishing for a compliment or something? Because you do have a beautiful voice."

"Thanks, Dean," she said fixing her gaze on Bobby. "But that's not the problem."

"What is it?" Sam prodded gently.

She turned her gaze away from Bobby, staring at a space between Sam and Dean on the wall behind them.

"I told you, Sam, it's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not stupid, Jessie."

She snorted. "Fine—I have stage fright."

There was complete silence for a moment before Dean began to laugh.

"You? You have stage fright?"

"What's so funny about that, Dean?" she asked irritably.

"I've seen you sing in front of a crowd. How can _you_ possibly have stage fright?"

She rolled her eyes. "Easy, Dean. I never get up to sing before I've had a few drinks."

"That's easy enough to deal with."

She shook her head. "No, Dean. I can't get up in front of that many people and that's that."

"How do you know if you haven't tried?"

"Dean!" Sam said harshly.

"No, Sam, it's okay," she replied with a sigh. "I'll be right back."

She stood up from the table leaving the kitchen. When she came back, she had her laptop tucked under her arm. She placed it on the table in front of the brothers and opened it up.

"What's this?" Dean asked.

"I tried out for American Idol during the first season. While I made it past the judges, when it came time for me to hit the stage in front of a crowd for the first time, well—I froze up."

"It couldn't be that bad," Dean said.

"Watch the clip I've loaded on Youtube, Dean," she said while pointing to her laptop. "Then you'll see why I couldn't possibly go through with that again."

The brothers were silent while they watched the video and for a few moments afterwards. Jessie was afraid Dean was going to laugh, but he didn't. He looked sympathetic.

"Okay, that is bad, Jessie. But that was before you were a hunter, right?" he asked. "You've gone through way more terrifying situations than that since then."

She wanted to be upset with him, but she knew he spoke the truth. She'd been through way worse situations since that show.

"Thanks, Dean," she said with a smile. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I can do it."

Sam and Bobby both gazed at him with surprise and relief.

She scooped her laptop from the table, stopping to smile thankfully at Dean.

"I'll be up in my room," she said, leaving the room quickly.

"I'm surprised at you, boy," Bobby said to Dean. "I thought you would've laughed at that clip."

"Come on, Bobby, there's nothing funny about freezing up like that."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"You mean you have no desire to laugh, or tease her about it?"

"None."

"Well if you do, keep it to yourself."

It was almost two hours later when Sam decided to go upstairs to check on Jessie, since no one had seen her since she'd gone upstairs earlier. He approached her room quietly, but not silently, he didn't want to startle her. The door to her room was partly open and from what he could tell, there was no activity in the room, none that he could hear. He stuck his head through the crack of the door to peek in, and saw her lying on her bed asleep on her stomach, her laptop open, sitting by her head. She'd obviously fallen asleep while she was busy with her laptop.

He walked up to the side of her bed and sat down softly, hoping not to disturb her. The movement jostled her around slightly, but she stayed asleep. It wasn't until he laid his hand on her back that she began to stir.

"What?" she said as she opened her eyes looking confused.

"I guess you were tired, huh?"

"Why? What time is it?" she asked as she rolled onto her side, supporting her head with her hand.

"It's after six."

Her eyes went wide. "Not in the morning I hope."

He chuckled. "No."

She turned over onto her back, stretched her limbs and yawned.

"I was doing some research on this case."

He laid down on his side next her, pulling her close and kissed her for a few moments.

"So you've decided to take it then?"

She sighed. "I don't want to, Sam, but what choice do I have?"

"We all have choices, Jessie."

"You're right. I can choose to do nothing and let innocent people die, or I can suck it up and do what needs to be done."

He was silent for a moment before he chuckled slightly.

"That sounds like something Bobby would say."

"Yeah," she replied. "Only he would never say that to me, at least, not about this."

He brushed a lock of hair from her face. "Whatever you decide, I'm here for you."

She smiled, reaching her hand out for his, squeezing it tightly. "Well you're gonna have to be. I do need a husband after all."

"I think I can manage that," he said with a smile.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly trying to figure out if she was teasing him or being serious.

She waited for his response, but when she noticed his hesitation she laughed.

"You do realize there's gonna be cameras everywhere?"

"Of course."

"And you do realize, once they figure out who I am, it's gonna bring a lot more attention, right?"

"I never thought about that."

"Well I did. That's what I was thinking about while I was up here—before I fell asleep."

"How're we gonna swing that?"

She smiled at him. "You don't think I've taken care of that already?"

He laughed. "I wouldn't doubt you."

"I only had to hack into a few government sites, create a fake ID for you with a different last name, and one for me with said last name, and a marriage certificate."

"Only?" he said with a laugh. "How long did that take you?"

"Ten minutes, maybe fifteen," she replied matter-of-factly. "The rest of the time I spent researching our ghost."

"What did you find out?"

"Well, he was cremated, so definitely no bones to burn."

"What about the widow?"

"She's eighty five and in a home. I doubt we'd get too far with her."

"Is there anything you don't know about this case?" he teased with a smile.

"Actually there is," she said with a smile.

"What's that?" he asked, knowing she was waiting for him to ask.

Her smile disappeared and she looked at him with a serious expression.

"I don't know what's keeping him at that hotel."

"We'll figure it out," he replied with a supportive smile.

"So you're serious about this, Sam? You think you can pretend to be my newlywed husband? While under intense scrutiny?"

He ran his fingertips lightly across her skin beginning from her shoulder all the way down her arm, resting his hand on her hip.

"I love you, Jessie. If that means pretending to love you so much I would marry you, than yes."

She did her best to keep a straight face, but she couldn't help but laugh.

"That's kinda cheesy, Sam," she teased.

He smiled. "Yeah, I guess it was."

She returned his smile brightly. "I love you, too, Sam. If I planned on ever getting married—"

His gripped her hip tightly, pulling her close and began to kiss her roughly, passionately, but only for a short time. Both pulled away from each other before they became too carried away, which they had only been moments from.

"Bobby will kill us if we do this here," she said still breathing heavily.

"You're right," he replied with disappointment. "It's a shame, but you're right."

Jessie and Sam went downstairs to join Bobby and Dean for dinner. They were both given suspicious looks for their extended visit upstairs, but neither said anything.

After dinner, Dean and Bobby were busy doing some research on a different case, and having a few drinks, while Sam and Jessie spent the time making their physical IDs. They stayed up late to make sure everything was set, packed up both the Impala and Jessie's Caprice, before they went to sleep. They planned on leaving first thing in the morning, it was a days drive to Los Angeles from Sioux City, on a good day.

By the time Jessie made it to bed, it was well after one in the morning. She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep. Too many things were running through her mind. She hadn't forgotten about Crowley, although at the moment he was on the backburner until they could figure out what he was up to. But she was also worried about Sam. She had teased Sam when they were speaking about marriage, but she had a feeling he was being slightly serious, she thought she could read something in his eyes. She didn't even want to think about that. Taking the step of dating him had been difficult enough for her, but taking the next step, she wasn't sure if she'd ever want that. And of course, most worrisome of all was the case. She thought Dean might have been pulling her leg, but he'd been right, she'd been through so much since American Idol, so why couldn't she do it? The thought of standing in front of cameras and a crowd of people wasn't as terrifying to her as it had been 11 years before, but things were different now. She was a completely different person. She wasn't sure if she could pull it off.

It was some time before she finally drifted off into an uneasy slumber, waking up just after dawn by loud voices in the hallway. She thought it was Sam and Dean arguing at first, then she realized they were only teasing each other. She would have told them to be quiet, but she knew it was time to get up, despite her exhaustion.

She dragged herself out of bed, took a quick shower, got dressed then packed up the remaining stuff she had at Bobby's. After some toast and coffee, she packed her stuff into her car then sat on the hood to wait for the brothers.

"Looks like you're eager to get out on the road," Dean said as he walked to his car, which was parked beside hers.

"Something like that."

"The princess should be out soon. He was messing with his hair when I saw him last."

She laughed. "You're just jealous of his soft, silky hair."

"Yeah, that's it," he said as he rolled his eyes.

Sam smiled as he walked outside, pleased to see his brother and Jessie were getting along so early in the morning. He imagined she must have had coffee, or she wouldn't have been smiling.

"You look tired," he said as he approached the car.

"Gee, thanks, Sam. You really know how to make a girl feel special."

"I mean it, Jessie. Maybe I should travel with you," he said with concern.

"I'm fine, I swear. If I get tired I'll let you know."

He wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her from the hood of the car, kissing her lightly.

"Drive safe."

"Don't worry so much, Sam," she teased with a smile. "It promotes wrinkles."

"Ha, ha," he laughed mockingly.

"I think it's time to go—before I change my mind about all of this."

He smiled, pulled her close and kissed her one last time. "No, you won't."

After she snuck another goodbye kiss from him, she got into her car, beginning the long drive to Los Angeles.

They drove six hours before they stopped for a potty break and something to eat, then headed back out on the road for another six hours. If Jessie hadn't been so tired they would have kept travelling. Even if she'd insisted on it they would have stopped, Sam was worried about her.

They grabbed one room with two beds, but this time she slept in one of the beds and Sam took the couch. Dean had offered the other bed to him, but he thought it was his responsibility to take the couch.

They slept a little over six hours, waking in the middle of the morning. Sam and Dean were up for a short time before they woke up Jessie, despite Dean's insistence to wake her up earlier. Dean was in a hurry, as he always was when they're on a case, but Sam was worried about her. It gave them time to go out and get coffee beforehand, which was always best whenever possible.

Jessie seemed bright, alert and refreshed when she finally climbed out of bed. She drank her coffee with a smile and seemed to be in a good mood, but Sam was suspicious. To him, she seemed to be trying way too hard to be in a good mood. But he didn't want to upset her, so he kept his suspicions to himself, for the time being.

They stopped at a diner for breakfast before they headed back out on the road. Sam decided he wanted to ride along with Jessie to keep an eye on her. Of course he told her something completely different. He wasn't sure if she bought it, but she seemed to be in a good enough mood. He knew if she had suspected anything she wouldn't be so pleasant.

They had been driving down a long quiet road for almost an hour, Dean in the Impala behind them, when suddenly a car coming in the opposite direction veered into their lane. It took a quick sharp right turn of the steering wheel to avoid a head on collision. The car swerved onto the dirt and gravel shoulder so quickly, Jessie almost lost control, the car fishtailing, but she managed to keep control and get the car back onto the road.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, once the car was back on the road.

He picked up his phone to call his brother, when the car was rear ended by the same car that had tried to hit them head on.

"What the hell is going on!" Jessie yelled as she continued to swerve from side to side to avoid being run off the road.

"I don't know," he said while turning around in his seat. "But Dean's behind this car trying to run it off the road."

"Keep your seatbelt on," she said as she continued to weave on the road.

While she was trying to keep an eye on the car behind her, another car seemed to come out of nowhere, trying to run into her head on. She once again tried to swerve onto the shoulder, but the car behind her hit the back corner of her car at almost the exact time she was trying to swerve. The car hit the shoulder at the wrong angle, sending it out of control. Jessie managed to maintain some control over the car, but it slid off of the shoulder, rolled into the low ditch and hit a guardrail, finally bringing the car to a stop.

"Are you okay, Sam," she said as she turned to glance at him, trying to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"Yeah," he said turning towards her. "What about you?"

"I think so," she replied, finally unbuckling herself.

"Dean!"

Jessie reached out for the door handle when the glass on the door suddenly shattered. She shielded her face with her hands while moving away from the door. She kicked at the empty space where the window used to be, coming into contact with someone who let out a grunt.

Sam called her name as the glass shattered and he noticed someone standing there. He managed to open his door and climb out, pulling his gun from his pants.

"Demons!" he yelled before shooting at the one standing by the driver's side door.

Jessie pushed her legs against the closed door, gripping the seat and dashboard tightly so she could wiggle herself out of the passenger's side. Sam reached in when she was close, helping to pull her out. She had her gun in her hand before she even stood up.

They stood back to back, their guns aimed towards the demons. There were at least six that they could see, three were heading towards them from one side of the car and three on the other. They stopped before they got too close, not that it mattered, the demons had them surrounded.

"Where the hell is your brother?"

"I dunno."

As if almost on cue, they could suddenly hear the Impala racing towards them. Jessie felt more hopeful, until they saw another demon walking towards them from one of the cars that had driven them off the road.

"Meg!" Sam called in surprise, turning around.

"Hey, Sammy," she replied with a smirk. "Nice to see you again."

"Yeah, right," he said angrily, placing his free arm around Jessie protectively. "What do you want?"

"Oh, I'm not here for you. I'm here for her," she replied, glancing at Jessie.

Both of them spoke simultaneously.

"What do you want with me?"

"What do you want with her?"

Meg cackled with amusement. "Isn't that adorable?"

"Shut up, Meg!"

"I always enjoy trading barbs with you, Sam, but I don't have time for it at the moment."

"Do you think I give a damn?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You have two choices. You hand your girl over to me and she won't get hurt, or, you can fight all of us and we will still take her, but she might get hurt."

"You aren't gonna touch her!" he yelled furiously.

"That's where you're wrong."

The pair raised their guns as the demons began to advance on them. Shots rang out from each of their guns but there were too many of them for it to make a difference. When the demons were too close to shoot, they used their guns as short range weapon, smashing them in the face. They did what they could, punching and kicking, but there were too many to fight off.

"Don't hurt her," Meg said as she approached them.

She stopped in front of Jessie, who was being held by two demons.

"So much trouble for just one meat sack."

"You touch her Meg and I'll kill you!" he growled.

"You really should get some help for your anger issues, Sam," she taunted.

"Leave him alone," Jessie said with resignation. "If you let him go—without hurting him—I'll go with you."

"No!" he shrieked.

Meg smiled. "Deal."

The demons who were holding her, began to loosen their grip. She shot Sam a look she hoped he would understand, then stuck her leg out, pushed the one on her right, who fell over her outstretched leg, falling on the ground. She punched the other one in the face, then kicked it in the stomach. As it bent over from the stomach blow, she kneed it in the face, sending it to the ground.

Sam had been able to fight off the two demons who'd been holding him in the confusion. They were now lying on the ground. He turned to face the other two, when Dean came up behind them, stabbing one in the back with Ruby's knife, then the second in quick succession, both dying quickly.

"Dean!"

"Sorry I'm late for the party."

The demons on the ground began to scurry away, but once Dean noticed he chased after them. They managed to jump into the car that had run Jessie and Sam off the road and drive away, Meg in the driver's seat.

"What the hell was that all about?" Dean asked as he joined Sam and Jessie, who were standing by her car.

"It was Meg," Sam replied. "She wanted Jessie."

"What the hell for?" he asked, turning his gaze towards her.

She looked at him and shrugged her shoulders.

"Are you okay, Jess?" Sam asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"No, Sam, I'm not," she said with frustration. "Look what the hell they did to my car!"

He glanced at her in disbelief.

"Seriously? We were just ambushed by demons and you're worried about your car?"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Look what they did to her! How can I not be upset about it?"

Dean shot her an understanding look.

"Sorry, Jessie. Sammy doesn't understand."

She shook her head in agreement, then walked over to the driver's side, grabbing her phone, which had fallen onto the floor. She made a quick call, pacing a few steps back and forth as she did so. When the call was complete, she stuffed it into her pocket.

Sam had walked up to her, waiting for her to finish the call. He placed his hands on her shoulders after she put her phone away.

"I'm sorry about your car, Jessie."

She sighed. "I know you are, Sam."

"But I'm also worried. About _you_."

"I don't know what they want with me, Sam. All I do know is, my car is in bad condition and that's something I can take care of. When you figure out what they want with me, let me know and maybe I'll worry about it."

He shook his head in disbelief then walked over to the Impala, which Dean had moved closer while Jessie had been on the phone.

"He's just scared, Jessie," Dean said. "We both are."

She looked at him with surprise and disbelief, struck speechless.

"Yeah, I'm worried about you, too," he said, his brow furrowing.

She sighed. "I just can't think about that right now, Dean. If I do—"

"What?"

She looked at him, trying to avoid eye contact. She didn't want to admit she was scared, not to herself and definitely not to him. If she did, then it would just make it seem more real. She had absolutely no clue what interest Crowley or Meg could possibly have in her. She had stayed away from demons, for the most part, while she'd been a hunter. And as far as she knew, there was nothing extraordinary about her. The only thing that had changed in her life was the company she kept. She didn't want to think about that, she couldn't. She loved Sam too much now to give him up, life or death. She'd spent the past nine years alive, but not really living. She knew what that was like. She'd rather spend only one more happy day with Sam, than a lifetime of being lonely and sad.

She opened her mouth in an attempt to answer Dean, but she was interrupted, thankfully, by the tow truck showing up.

**A/N: So now Meg wants her too. Just what they need. Makes you wonder if Crowley is working with Meg, or she has her own agenda, doesn't it? Though one can never tell with demons.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Jessie sat in the back of the Impala quietly fuming. She hadn't spoken to either of the Winchesters after the tow truck showed up, while she gathered her belongings or during the ride. She hadn't spoken to anyone except the tow truck driver and Bobby. All the boys could gather from the conversation was that she was having her car towed to Bobby's place. Other than herself, she didn't want anyone to work on her car, besides him.

She barely said two words to them when they arrived at a hotel not far from the one Jessie and Sam would soon be heading to. She only brought her dufflebag in the room with her, heading straight for the bathroom.

When she didn't emerge from the bathroom in fifteen minutes, Sam knocked on the door asking if he could come in. She replied with a refusal, but he walked in any way.

She was standing by the mirror clad only in her bra and underwear when he opened the door.

"Sam!" she yelled when he walked in. "I told you not to come in."

He noticed she had a large purple bruise on the upper part of her left arm and a cut on her hip.

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"

She sighed heavily. "I was too worried about getting out of that situation alive and then my car. I didn't even realize until we drove away that I was in pain at all."

"You could have told me when you finally realized it."

"It's not a big deal, Sam."

He shook his head in frustration. "It is when you're keeping secrets again."

"And you're making a big deal out of nothing."

"It isn't nothing to me, Jessie."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Get out, Sam."

He stood his ground for a moment before leaving, slamming the door behind him as he left.

She waited a moment to make sure he wasn't standing outside the door before she sat down onto the edge of the bathtub, covered her face with her hands and began to cry. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she couldn't hold it back any longer. The stress of the upcoming case, the increasingly confusing demon problem, the damage to her car and now arguing with Sam, was too much to deal with all at once.

When she managed to finally get control over herself, she got dressed, splashed some water on her face, swallowing hard before walking out into the hotel room. She'd been expecting to see Sam waiting for her, instead she found Dean was the only one in the room.

He was sitting on the couch watching TV when she walked into the room. She had expected him to at least acknowledge her presence, but he didn't even glance in her direction.

"Where's Sam?"

"He went for a walk," he replied harshly.

She could tell by his tone he was upset with her, but she really wasn't in the mood to deal with him. She wanted to ignore him, but she realized she needed to ask him for the keys to his car, since she'd forgotten her laptop inside it. But before she could, he stood up from the couch, glancing in her direction.

"I don't want to get in the middle of whatever issues you're having with my brother, but I can't keep quiet this time."

"Dean—"

"No, Jessie. You're in the wrong this time, that I know for sure. If you're injured, you should be letting someone know. Period."

"I know you're right, Dean. And I was gonna tell him, but—nevermind."

He approached her slowly with a look of concern. "What's going on?"

She sighed, swallowing hard. "I'm just stressed out, Dean."

"I think there's more to it than that."

"What do you want me to say, Dean? Do you want me to tell you how afraid I am? That all this stuff with Crowley, and now Meg, is freaking me out. Is that what you want me to say?"

"If it's the truth, yeah."

She looked down towards the floor, crossing her arms across her chest. "I can't admit that, Dean. Not to you. Not to Sam."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Why? Because you're worried your ego will be bruised? That somehow you'll lose face. I don't think this is the time to worry about your pride."

"Pride has nothing to do with it, Dean. I can't say it out loud, because if I do, then I'll believe it."

He narrowed his eyes in scrutiny. "I don't think that's it. I think there's more to it."

"I can't believe you're gonna make me say it," she said with a sigh. "Fine. I'm scared, Dean. Are you happy?"

"Why would I be happy about that?"

She turned her back to him, unable to face him.

"I don't know," she replied, sounding dejected. "Some hunter I am."

"What are you talking about? You're a great hunter."

She turned around to face him again. "How can you say that? I'm afraid of demons. What kind of hunter is afraid of what they hunt?"

He snorted. "Are you serious? I'd be worried if you're weren't afraid. We're all afraid."

She shook her head. "Okay, maybe I need to elaborate. I'm not just afraid. I'm terrified."

"Are you telling me you've never been terrified of anything you've hunted?"

She shook her head. "Not like this, Dean. I freeze up every damn time."

He closed the space between them, placing his hands on her shoulders supportively. "It happens to all of us, Jessie. You'll get past it, I know you will. Just like this TV show thing. You'll be fine."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, but they did, and they even made her feel better.

She smiled at Dean. "Thank you for making me feel better," she said as she pulled away.

"I meant every word of it."

She laughed. "If you ever quit hunting, you could always go into motivational speaking."

"Ha, ha," he said with a smile. "Just do me a favor."

"What?"

"Apologize to, Sam—even if you don't mean it."

She nodded her head once. "I'm gonna wait outside for him."

"Good."

She smiled as she walked outside to wait for Sam, feeling much more optimistic about the stress in her life. She only had to hope that Sam had had enough time to cool down.

She only had to wait for about ten minutes when he finally came into view. He smiled slightly as he approached her, obviously pleased to find her waiting for him.

"I'm sorry, Sam," she said as he stopped in front of her. "I didn't mean to keep my injuries a secret."

"I know, Jess," he replied. "I know you didn't mean to. It's just a habit. I get it."

"Are you still pissed?"

"No. Just disappointed."

She sighed, looking away.

"You asked."

"I know, Sam, and I don't blame you," she said, reaching for his hand. "But—can we talk about this inside?"

He grasped her hand firmly, pulled her close, raising his other hand to her face. "You drive me crazy sometimes. Do you know that?"

"As long as it's only, sometimes," she said with a teasing smile.

He brushed his lips against hers lightly, teasing her at first, before kissing her lightly.

"We _are_ gonna talk about this."

She opened her mouth to respond, when Dean walked outside.

"I'm going out for a couple hours. I thought the two of you might need some time alone," he said.

Sam looked at him curiously, while Jessie smiled in thanks. He quickly hopped into his car and drove away without another word.

"What was that about?"

"We had a heart to heart," she replied as he looked at her with shock. "Don't worry. There wasn't any bloodshed."

"That's good."

"Yup. And now it's our turn, Sam."

He smiled, allowing her to lead him into the hotel room, and onto the couch.

She explained her thoughts and fears to Sam, hoping to make him understand why she hadn't been thinking earlier. While she hoped she got through to him, she wasn't sure. However, she was positive that speaking about her deepest fears did inspire him to trust her a little more.

He did his best to allay her fears, while keeping his fears from her. He thought it was best not to tell her how afraid he was to lose her, in case it scared her away.

Their bodies were soon swept up in a fit of passion brought on by their fears. Fear of losing each other and the fear of the unknown. It began on the couch, but soon they were completely naked, exploring each other's bodies on one of the beds. Their needs were both so strong, it was over quickly. But after some cuddling, both were swept up again, only this time it lasted much longer.

They were still lying in bed together when Dean returned to the room. He'd been expecting something to be going on, so he knocked first, waiting for an all clear before he entered the room.

All three of them were in a good mood and smiling at the same time, which was rare, especially lately. And as much as he hated to, Dean needed to be the one to interject, after all, they were still working on a case.

"So what's the plan, fearless leader," he teased, glancing at Jessie.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Well—I have an audition to attend tomorrow."

"And what am I gonna be doing?"

She sighed exaggeratedly. "I need you to do some more research. We still have no idea why this ghost is stuck in that building."

"I thought you already did research on this. What am I gonna be able to find out that you couldn't?"

She chuckled lightly. "Are you saying I'm better than you?"

"No," he replied with a roll of his eyes. "I'm just not sure where to start. If he's attached to a cursed object, then he would have traveled along with it. But he's stayed there for all these years from what we can tell, and yet there's no mention anywhere of anyone keeping any sort of trophy."

"I don't know what to say, Dean," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "You'll have to work that out yourself. I have an audition to worry about."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Actually I do, Dean. If I don't get chosen, then the case is blown all to hell."

"Jessie," Sam called. "How many karaoke contests have you won?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, lots. Why?"

"Have you ever heard yourself?" Dean asked.

"What are you getting at?" she asked impatiently.

"Your voice is beautiful, although I hate your choice in music.

"Ha, ha," she replied mockingly.

"And if that doesn't work," he said, waiting for her curious look. "You can always tell them exactly who you are and what happened on American Idol. They'll take you in a heartbeat just for the sensationalism."

"Dean!" Sam said.

At first, she was shocked, and her instinct was to retort with something witty or insulting, but she knew deep down that he was right.

"No, he's right, Sam. I don't want to do that, but if I have to—"

"I don't think it'll come to that," he said hopefully.

"Me too, Sam. Me too."

They spent the rest of the day and night preparing for the case. Sam and Dean did what little researching they could from the hotel room, while Jessie did some voice exercises and tried to decide on a song to sing for the audition. She was torn between a few, but she needed something that showed her range and would wow the judges.

The next morning, Jessie woke up bright and early, showered and got dressed into something a little more feminine. She hadn't brought a whole wardrobe with her when she'd left her house, so she had very little to choose from. She hadn't thought of it the day before or she would have gone shopping, and now it was too late. Her audition was early in the morning. There was no time to shop.

She chose a simple black dress that seemed more suited for a business meeting than dress up. It was a more casual version of the outfit she usually wore when posing as an FBI agent, but it would have to do. She didn't have anything more suitable.

She woke the Winchesters up after she was finished getting ready. They all had coffee together, and Sam and Dean ate breakfast while Jessie watched, her stomach didn't feel up to eating.

She waited outside of the hotel for a cab with a sour look on her face. Sam understood the look, she was still pissed about her car. Dean had offered to lend her the Impala for the day, but she didn't take him up on the offer. She told him he would need it more than her, but Sam figured there must have been another reason, one he knew she wasn't going to share, and he wasn't going to press her for, she was already on edge.

Their cab ride only took a few minutes from their hotel, which is why they had chosen that particular one. Dean had wanted a cheaper motel, but Jessie had cut the argument short by offering to pay for everything, which she had gotten into the habit of doing any way. Sam seemed bothered by it from time to time, but Dean didn't seem to mind in the least.

When they arrived at the hotel for the audition, there were about a hundred couples waiting in line. Jessie felt her knees get weak, but Sam laid his arm around her supportively, which helped her relax.

When Jessie's number was called, she hesitated, feeling like she wanted to vomit. Sam nudged her gently when she didn't move. When she was finally able to move forwards, her legs felt heavy, like they were made of lead, but she managed to make it into the room where the judges were waiting.

The judges asked her some questions before they had her sing for them. She couldn't be positive, but it seemed like they weren't very interested in hearing her sing, like they'd already made up their minds. She knew she was right when they stopped her after twenty seconds to tell her she'd made it on to the show.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked after she was finished with the audition. "Did you get in?"

"Yeah, I did, Sam."

"Then what's the problem?"

She shook her head. "I knew it, Sam. I knew it was going to happen."

"What?"

"I think they know who I am. I barely had a chance to sing before they said I was in the show."

"But that's great, isn't it? At least you got in."

"Yeah, great for the case, but not so much for me."

"I think you're just being paranoid."

She glared at him with irritation. "Really? You really think so? Five women out of the hundred or so get chosen and they pick me without really hearing me sing. I don't think that's paranoia, Sam."

"Okay, maybe you're right, but what does it matter?"

"It matters that I'm going to be a spectacle on TV. How the hell am I going to hunt after this?"

"You'll tell people they must have you mistaken for someone else. It happens all the time."

"Whatever," she replied dismissively.

Sam knew by her tone and the look she gave him that the conversation was over, which was fine, because it was only a minute later when they were escorted to a room to wait.

By the end of the day—which seemed incredibly long to both Jessie and Sam—they had done several interviews with producers and many other people involved in the show. When they were shown to their room, Jessie collapsed onto the bed and closed her eyes to rest, but Sam had other plans. He climbed on the bed next to her, nuzzled up to her neck and began to kiss and nibble her lightly.

"Sam!" she said while giggling. "I'm tired."

"You're not too tired for this are you?" he asked before kissing her lips.

She pulled away from him slightly with a bright smile. "I would love to say no, but it's been such a long day, Sam."

He helped her get undressed, hoping she would change her mind, but she didn't. She was tired and he could see that she was, so he didn't push. He helped her into bed, cuddled up with her until she fell asleep, then crawled out of bed to check in with his brother.

The next day was spent in meetings, interviews and various other things for the shows. Sam wasn't quite sure how Jessie was handling it, but she never once complained, although if he thought she'd needed to, he would have listened. He found everything so tedious and over the top, he began to wonder why he'd talked her into going through with all of it.

The next day was, as one of the producers called it, a free day. While Sam would have to disagree with her definition of free, he was relieved there were no interviews or staff constantly bugging him and Jessie. They did have to meet the other couples on the show and get to know them, but so far, he found that the easiest part.

Jessie became more and more anxious as the day wore on. She knew there was less than twenty four hours before she would be on the stage, in front of hundreds of people in the audience and who knew how many watching on TV. They had barely had any time to do any sort of research for the case, which also made her anxious. While she knew that the ghost only seemed to attack women who made it into the top five, which didn't happen until the end of the week, she also knew she needed to find what was keeping the ghost earth bound before that time. She didn't want anyone else to die. And she didn't really want to stay on the show any longer than was necessary.

Jessie's nerves kicked in almost the exact moment she woke up the next morning. She felt queasy before she even climbed out of bed, which became steadily worse as she showered. By the time she began brushing her teeth, she was sure she couldn't handle it any longer. She kneeled in front of the toilet and began to vomit. She was once again brushing her teeth when Sam walked in to see how she was doing.

"I guess I'm nervous," she said, after rinsing her mouth.

"Are you sure that's it?" he asked with concern. "Do you normally get sick when you're nervous?"

"I feel fine, Sam," she replied in irritation. "Besides my stomach doing flip flops."

He looked as if he didn't believe her, but he didn't mention it again.

"While everyone is busy today, I'm gonna go snooping around. Unless you need me."

"No, I'm good, Sam. I think they're gonna keep me too busy to worry about what you're up to."

He pulled her into his arms. "I wish I could be by your side."

"I know, Sam," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "But we have a job to do. I just wish we could switch places."

He chuckled. "I would rather _you_ wear the wig and grow the facial hair."

She laughed lightly. "Well, I think I could handle the wig, but growing facial hair might be kinda tough for me."

"Yeah, I think I look better with a beard."

"Definitely."

They kissed for a short time before they were interrupted by loud knocking at the door. Jessie knew it meant her freedom was at an end. It was time to prepare for the first show, and quite possibly her last. She reluctantly bid farewell to Sam, allowing herself to be ushered into the hallway with the rest of the women who would also be on the show, but her mind was left with Sam. She wanted nothing more than to help him with the case, not stuck with people she didn't know, pretending she was someone she wasn't.

It was difficult for Jessie to keep her mind on what was going on, instead of the idle chatter of the other women. They seemed a little catty, which annoyed her to no end. She had never enjoyed gossip and bitchiness, unless the gossip had something to do with a case. She did her best to tune them out, until she heard her name. She pretended not to hear what they were saying, but she was listening closely.

"_I heard one of the producers talking about that Jessie girl yesterday. He said she was on the first American Idol and totally choked when she went on stage the first time. I don't think we have to worry about her_."

"_Yeah, I know. I went online and there's all kinds of stories about it. They even linked the clip of her fail on youtube_."

Jessie instantly regretted listening to the women talking. All it did was make her feel more nervous, and afraid of losing the contents of her stomach again. From that moment on, she chose not to listen, unless someone mentioned the ghost.

The day seemed to pass in such a blur, it seemed too surreal. She'd been so busy during the day that she'd pretty much forgotten to be nervous, until it was time for the show. She wished she could have seen Sam before the show, he would have made her feel better, but she knew that wasn't possible. She could only hope that his inspiring words earlier, and those of Dean and Bobby days before, would get her through.

She had been terrified that she'd be the first one to sing that night, but the producers explained that everyone was so hyped to see if she would choke like she did on American Idol, they decided to leave her for last so people would tune in to the show longer. That explanation did nothing to help her nerves, not to mention she wanted to punch the producer in the face for even saying such a thing to her.

Only moments before she was to go on, she closed her eyes and took a few slow, deep breaths to calm herself. It wasn't nearly enough, but remembering Dean's inspiring words did. She had faced way more dangerous foes than her stage fright and she couldn't let it get the best of her. She wasn't the person she used to be and she couldn't allow it to affect who she was now.

When she was given her cue, she walked out onto the stage, head held high, although her legs felt heavy and shaky. She stood on her mark, waiting. She cleared her mind, waited for the music than began to sing. Sing like she never had before.

She'd chosen a song that not only had some meaning for her and this moment in her life, but it would also be talked about and hopefully lead to her being voted for. She needed to make it until at least the end of the week. The ghost had only attacked at the end of the week, and had only killed the women who made it into the top five.

Once she stepped off stage, she was bombarded with questions from people she'd never met, most of them sticking microphones, cameras, or both, in her face. All she wanted to do was have a few minutes to herself to breathe and unwind. She could still feel the blood pumping in her head and her legs shaking from the adrenaline rush. Before she could open her mouth to say something, one of the assistants swept in and took her into a room to have some privacy.

The private room wasn't very large, but it was full of overly large comfy chairs, bottles of water and the lights were dimmed. It was the perfect place to relax and unwind. Perhaps too perfect. She sat in the chair closest to the door, laid her head back, closing her eyes and almost fell asleep. However, her eyes opened the instant the door opened.

She turned her head towards the door, her eyes only half open.

"Sam!"

"Hey," he said quietly, sitting down beside her. "You look tired."

She rolled her eyes. "I just came crashing down from an adrenaline high."

"You did awesome out there, Jessie," he said, smiling proudly. "Not that I had any doubt."

"Thanks, Sam," she said with a slight smile. "I'm more concerned about the case though."

"You can't take one minute to celebrate your achievement?"

"Why are you changing the subject, Sam?"

"And why are you avoiding answering my question, Jessie?"

"It's done, it's over with, Sam. I managed not to choke, but I still have to go through with it again tomorrow night. I'd rather not think about it."

"Why? You did great," he replied, laying his hand on her knee.

"Just because I managed to get through with it, does _not_ mean I wanna do it again."

He leaned in close, whispering in her ear. "You loved it and you know it."

She held an impassive gaze for a moment before she smiled. "You're right, I did. But I don't wanna quit my day job."

"I would never dream of asking you to."

She smiled, pulled him closer and began to kiss him slowly. They only kissed for a few moments when they heard a commotion outside. They pulled away from each other just in time to be joined in the room by a crowd of people.

After several quick interviews, Jessie made it back into her room, where Sam had decided to wait for her. He'd been pushed out of the way and found it easier just to stay out of the way. It took that moment for him to realize why she didn't want a life like this. Having a camera and microphone shoved in your face constantly was truly irritating. He was glad that it was only temporary.

Jessie surprised Sam by pulling out her laptop, which had been hidden in her suitcase, and laid it on the bed, where she sat down and turned it on.

"What're you doing, Jessie?" he asked with curiosity, sitting beside her.

"What does it look like?" she asked sarcastically.

"I thought we weren't allowed to access the internet?"

"Do you think I'd let that stop me, Sam?" she asked with a smile. "You do remember what I can do, right?"

He shook his head. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm curious to see what's being said about me."

"Are you sure you want to know?"

She sighed. "No, not really. But I do need to know if I'm gonna have to take some desperate measures."

"Like what?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She laughed. "Did you really think I would leave this contest up to chance, Sam? I can't lose. Not until we gank that ghost."

"I get that. But what do you think you can do?"

"Um, hello, Sam, hacker."

"You mean, uh, you would—"

"Yes, Sam, but only if I have to. It's not as easy as I make it sound."

He laughed. "You're so full of yourself."

She rolled her eyes, pretending to be offended. "Yeah, and you love it."

"Not really," he said teasingly. "But I love you."

She smiled, reached her hand out, entwining her fingers into his. She leaned closer to kiss him, then her phone went off.

She smiled at Sam apologetically before she answered her phone. She wouldn't have let it interrupt them if it hadn't been Bobby, but she really wanted to talk to him. He had only wanted to tell her how proud he was, but she was happy to hear his voice regardless of the reason.

After the couple made love, they fell asleep in each other's arms, not waking until they heard pounding on their door the next morning. They'd slept in past their wake up call, so they had to rush to shower and get dressed.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked Jessie while they were eating breakfast.

She was pushing some scrambled eggs around her plate with her fork. His question made her glance at him with curiosity.

"Why?"

"You've barely eaten anything in days. What's going on?"

"My stomach is queasy. It's nothing."

He laid his hand on top of hers supportively. "You'll do fine today, Jessie."

She wanted to tell him she didn't think her nausea had anything to do with the show, but she wasn't sure what else could be causing it either.

"Thank you, Sam," she replied with a smile.

After breakfast, some of the people with the show herded the five newcomers and their husbands into one big room. Everyone seemed to know what was going on, except Jessie and Sam. They traded curious glances, but kept silent.

They waited for what seemed like forever, however, it was only ten minutes or so, before someone came for the couple, escorting them down the hallway and into another room, complete with a green screen and filled with lights and camera equipment. They traded curious glances again while they waited in a couple of chairs they'd been provided.

It wasn't long before a high strung woman bounded in the room full of energy, cheer and smiles, enough to make Jessie sick to her stomach, literally.

"It's so nice I get to be the one to work with you, Jessie and Sam."

"What's this about?" she asked.

The woman gazed at her strangely. "Haven't you watched the show before?"

"Uh, a little of it," she replied, shooting Sam a look of worry.

"Oh, well this might be a little bit awkward then," the woman replied hesitantly.

Sam shrugged his shoulders, looking confused.

"Well, you see, we like to have a little fun with our couples. We want the TV world to see the couples having fun, being silly." Jessie and Sam traded apprehensive looks while she continued to speak. "So we have the couples sing a duet, just for fun."

"What?" Sam blurted out suddenly.

"It's just for a short spot. Nothing to worry about."

"Uh, Sam can't sing very well," Jessie said, shooting him an apologetic glance.

"That's okay, Jessie, he doesn't have to. That's the whole fun part of it."

"It doesn't sound like fun to me," he replied sourly.

The woman smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but it's part of the show. And part of the contract you signed."

Jessie couldn't help but stifle a laugh at Sam's look of consternation.

"But there is good news," the woman said. "You get to choose the song you want to sing."

"How is that good news?" he asked.

The woman looked confused.

"It's okay, Sam," Jessie said, laying her hand on his supportively. "You'll do fine."

He rolled his eyes sarcastically, remembering he'd said those exact same words to her not very long before.

"It's okay. I have a song in mind," she replied.

He raised his eyebrow in suspicion, wondering what she had in mind.

"Okay, good. Give me a couple of minutes and we'll get started," the woman said. "I'll be right back."

Sam watched the woman leave, suddenly feeling anxious. He turned to glance at Jessie who was smiling mischieviously.

"Come on, Sammy. You aren't afraid, are you?" she teased.

"Of course not," he replied quickly. "But, uh—Dean is never gonna let me live this down."

She suddenly became serious. "I'm really torn, Sam." She stopped speaking, trying to stifle a giggle. "I don't know if I should laugh or not."

"Ha, ha," he laughed mockingly. "I see the support only runs one way, huh?"

She rolled her eyes heavily. "And here I thought Dean was the only drama king in your family."

"Yeah, and I thought he was the only smartass I know."

They looked at each other, pretending to be offended, before breaking out into laughter.

The woman came back into the room, looking at the couple strangely, they were still laughing.

"Are you both ready?" she asked.

They glanced at each other with a smile.

"Yeah," he said.

"What song have you chosen?"

"Need you now by Lady Antebellum," she replied, grinning at Sam.

"Excellent choice!" the woman replied excitedly. "It'll take a few minutes to set up and then we should be good to go."

While Sam had a lot of trepidation, he managed to get through the duet and have some fun doing it. He knew his brother was going to rib him for ages about it, but he didn't care, he had had fun.

The couple spent much of the remainder of the day together, until two hours before the show. Jessie already knew she'd made it to the next show, so she wasn't worried about that, she was only worried about her stage fright. She was quite sure she'd be fine, but not positive.

The show went fine, until she was asked about the song she'd chosen to sing the night before. Everyone was curious to know if it was intentional to chose a song by Kelly Clarkson, since she'd won the first American Idol, the one she'd been in. And while it had been part of the reason she'd chosen the song Stronger, it also held a great deal of meaning for her. She'd overcome a lot of hardships in her life and now she was moving on with her life.

She was happy with her performance that night. She'd chosen to sing; set fire to the rain by Adele, and she got a standing ovation. She wished she'd chosen another of her songs, one with more vocal range, but she was going to save that for the next night. She needed to continue to up herself if she was going to make it to the next night, without having to mess with the voting results. She didn't really want to do that if she could help it. As simple as she made it sound to Sam, it wasn't really. It would be difficult and time consumming, although not impossible.

When she was finished with the show, she headed straight back to her hotel room and fell asleep, before Sam had even made it back. He decided not to disturb her since she'd been so tired lately, not that he blamed her. Putting on an act for everyone during all hours of the day was becoming very tiresome. He hoped he'd never have to do something like this ever again.

The next morning, Jessie woke up before Sam, and was showered and dressed before he even crawled out of bed. He wasn't sure why she seemed to be in a good mood all of a sudden, but the twinkle in her eye told him she was beginning to enjoy the spotlight.

"It's nice to see you in such a good mood, Jessie," he said as he walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

"Mmmm, an even better mood now," she replied with a grin, eyeing him up and down.

He smiled. "We don't have time for that now."

"True," she said, smiling brighter. "But I can enjoy the view."

He walked closer, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her lightly. "You only have to ask."

She was captivated by him for a few moments, unable to respond.

"Do we have time to talk about something, Jess?" he asked with a serious look.

She sighed, pulling away slightly. "I guess that depends."

He dropped his arms from around her waist, taking one of her hands in his, led her to the bed, sat down and waited for her to sit beside him.

"I don't even know where to start," he said awkwardly, his eyes darting around nervously.

"The beginning usually works," she replied sarcastically.

He folded his hands, glancing down at them for a moment before looking up into her eyes. "I know this whole experience has been difficult and crazy, but I wanted you to know that, uh, playing your husband has been the best part."

She eyed him nervously. "What're you getting at, Sam?"

"What would you think of, uh—"

"Stop right there, Sam!" she interrupted, standing up. "We're _not_ talking about this right now."

He stood up, grabbing one of her hands. "I love you, Jessie. Being alone like this, pretending we're married, it just feels right."

She glared at him, shaking her head. "I can't believe you're doing this to me, Sam."

"Doing what? Telling you how much I love you?"

"Yeah, Sam, that. This is not the time to discuss something like this," she said, pulling her hand from his. "We haven't even known each other very long."

"You're right, but why should that matter?"

"I swear to God, Sam, if you say our time could be up at any time, I _will_ smack you!"

"It's true, isn't it? How many times have either one of us been close to death?"

She snorted. "And how many times have you actually died? What's your point?"

"Jessie, please. Can we at least talk about this calm and rationally?"

"No, Sam, we can't! I'm far beyond calm and rational at the moment!"

"Can we talk about this later?"

She glared at him, trying to calm herself. "I don't know, Sam."

He reached out, placing his hands on her arms. "I'm sorry, Jessie. I didn't mean to upset you."

She sighed. "I know you didn't mean to, but you did."

He brushed a few stray hairs from her face, tucking them behind her ear gently.

She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. When she opened her eyes, she leaned in close to Sam, laid her head against his chest, holding him tightly.

"Just promise me you won't mention this again until we're finished with this case," she said, then looked up at him. "Can you do that?"

"As long as you promise that we will talk about it."

She nodded her head reluctantly in agreement.

"Let's go eat breakfast," he suggested, kissing her on the forehead.

"Okay."

**A/N: Wow, sorry I had to cut that short, that chapter was just way too long lol. So now that she's conquered her stage fright, she has another problem, Sam. Do you think she's right in overreacting? Or is it Sam that's overreacting?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

While Jessie was still slightly upset with Sam, she managed to get through breakfast with no problems. She couldn't be angry with him for how he felt, but it was a bad time to talk about something so serious. She wasn't sure how she was going to deal with the discussion when it came time to have it, but she couldn't really afford to think about that at the moment. She needed to think about the show and the case.

She spent nearly the entire day involved in various things for the show. She could have done without spending any amount of time with the other women in the show, since she didn't really like them, especially the women who were in the top five. They were all full of themselves. She was just happy to see one of them had been voted out. It would make it easier to make it into the top five. And with today being the last show that counted, she needed to do all she could to focus.

The remaining seven ladies were having a late lunch together when a brawl between two of them broke out. Jessie didn't want to get involved, but the tiny bit of aggression needed to subdue the women helped her forget about her earlier worries. It wasn't difficult, especially when she'd been up against some pretty terrifying creatures, but she found that two women who really didn't like each other, but didn't have any particular fighting skills, could really do some damage to each other if they were angry enough. She didn't even manage to walk away completely unscathed, although she wouldn't call a scratch on her hand a big deal.

From that moment forward, the women were not left alone without any sort of security. Jessie was shocked that they had been in the first place, but apparently there hadn't been a need for it before today. She only hoped the men were behaving themselves, not that she had anything to worry about with Sam. They would all be sorry if they messed with him.

There were no more issues before the show, which was a relief to Jessie. She managed to get through the show, doing much better than she thought she would have. She still had Sam on her mind, despite doing her best to keep her mind busy and distracted. However, she was no closer to a solution.

After she was finished with the show, she headed straight back to her room, making it there before Sam. She pulled out her laptop, then changed her mind. She needed to talk to Mike, so she called him instead. She refrained from mentioning anything about Sam's proposal, but he always knew she was hiding something, so she promised to call him again when she could actually speak about what was on her mind.

When Sam finally made it back to the room, it was almost an hour later. He found her asleep on the bed with her laptop open.

"Jessie," he called gently, placing his hand on her back.

She stirred slightly, but her eyes stayed closed.

He called her name again, only much louder this time.

She yelled, "what?" before her eyes were even open, stretched, knocking her laptop aside, and almost kicked Sam in the face.

He laughed as she shot him an indignant look.

"You wouldn't be laughing if I'd managed to kick you," she said groggily.

He smiled, sticking out his hand and assisted her into a sitting position.

"How was your day?"

She snorted. "Oh, just stopped a fight between two crazy chicks. No biggie."

"Really?" he asked with surprise. "The same happened between two of the men. It almost turned into a knock down, drag out between all of us."

Her eyes darted all over him. "Well I don't see any bruises so I guess you're fine."

He chuckled. "Nah. Most of them are short and scrawny."

"It is kinda weird though, don't you think, Sam?"

"What?"

"That both groups break out in a fight on the same day. Don't you find that odd?"

"Now that you mention it," he said with a furrowed brow. "Didn't something like that happen back in the forties, too?"

"Yes, it did," she replied, her forehead also furrowing. "So what the hell is going on?"

"I don't know," he replied. "But maybe we should take the EMF meters out for a walk."

She smiled mirthlessly, shaking her head. "You're so cute sometimes, Sam."

He smiled, taking her hand into his. "Don't let that get out. You'll ruin my rep."

She chuckled. "What rep?"

He rolled his eyes playfully. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Just let me brush my hair," she replied, almost jumping off the bed.

He laughed, watching her become so excited to go searching for clues. It made him realize that as much as she seemed to enjoy singing, she'd never quit being a hunter. It was in her blood as much as it was in his.

The couple walked out into the hallway being as casual as possible. Occasionally they would stop to kiss or have a private moment, but it was mostly for show. They began to realize how well being a couple worked as a cover.

They stalked the hallways for as long as they could, before security became suspicious and sent them back to their room. It was pretty late when they got back, the halls were now almost completely empty.

"I only found readings on this floor, where the couples are staying. What about you, Sam?"

"Same here."

"What do you think it means?"

He shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not sure. But maybe we've been looking at this all wrong."

"How so?"

"What if there never was a ghost in this hotel and it was only in people's imaginations? You know how stories can spread and then people believe in them."

"What are you saying, Sam?"

"Maybe there wasn't a ghost in the past, but there is now. I think it's more and more likely that we're looking for a cursed object."

"That's a great theory, Sam, but why now? And who has it?"

"I don't know, Jessie. Maybe we didn't do our homework. We must of missed something."

She snorted. "We researched the background of just about every employee and person on the show. What could we have missed?"

"I don't know, Jessie. I just have this feeling."

She sighed loudly. "I'll start looking over things again. Why don't you call Dean and see if he can do the same?"

Sam called his brother, while Jessie began to pour over the information she'd already been over several times already. When her eyes became too sore, Sam switched places with her. But even with two sets of eyes, neither of them came up with anything new, and eventually they gave up so they could get some sleep. Although the worry about voting was over, there was still the final results show for the week.

Jessie was awakened early that morning by loud pounding on the hotel door. She'd only fallen asleep less than three hours before and she definitely didn't want to get out of bed. Then she remembered someone telling her she needed to be up early to prepare for the last show of the week. She'd completely forgotten all of it when she'd immersed herself in the case.

She groaned as she climbed out of bed, feeling like she hadn't slept in days. She asked Sam to answer the door, while she jumped into the shower. She kept the water as cold as she could handle it, in hopes it would help wake her up. It did, but only for a short time. What she really needed was caffeine.

She dressed as quickly as she could, then headed down to restaurant to have breakfast. But before she made it there, she ducked into the women's public bathroom and got sick. She wasn't sure why after only one night of little sleep she felt so badly, usually it took days before she felt so horrible, but she imagined it must be from how little she'd been eating since she'd been at the hotel.

When she walked into the restaurant, Sam was sitting at a table waiting for her with a worried expression. He'd already ordered her a cup of coffee, which she began to drink the moment she sat down. She quickly explained to him what happened, which didn't seem to do much for his worry, but she had no time to dwell on it. She had too many things to do for the show that evening.

Immediately following breakfast, the remaining seven women were taken to a room to rehearse for that evening's show. Since the voting part was over, they had to perform a few numbers together, as well as a solo, but everything was chosen by the producers. And with little time to rehearse, there was no room for errors. They'd already rehearsed during the week, but each person voted out affected how the final show would go, so they needed to rearrange things and practice again and again.

They stopped for a quick lunch, which Jessie didn't want any part of, but she did try to keep something down. All she really wanted was some coffee, but she managed to choke down a sandwich. She knew she wouldn't have enough energy during the show if she didn't. Her mind was already distracted wondering what Sam was up to, she couldn't afford to mess up the show and get thrown out before they figured out where the ghost was.

When it came time for the last results in the show, she had a difficult time pretending to be surprised she'd made it into the top five. She figured that probably lost her some votes for next week since it made her seem conceited, but she hoped she wouldn't have to worry about next week. She wanted to get that ghost before she had to suffer through another week.

There was an after party she was expected to attend. And although she had little desire to, she did what she had to. The first thing she did was find Sam, which took a few minutes.

It was difficult pretending she was as happy with making it through the week than everyone else seemed to be for her. Deep in her mind she was happy, but this was not the life she wanted anymore or she might have been happier about it. And, she was just too tired to give a damn. All she wanted to do was get out of the limelight and go to sleep, but she knew that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

It took much of the night, and a lot of protesting from Jessie, but eventually Sam coaxed her onto the dance floor. She—jokingly—whispered death threats in his ear while they danced, which only made him laugh. He knew she wasn't the best dancer, but making her do it in front of a crowd of people and cameras made her anxious. She swore to him she'd get him back at some point. She didn't know how, but she swore it would be clowns. He laughed, but secretly he was worried. He knew when she made a threat she was usually serious about it.

It was late when the couple finally made it back to their hotel room. All Jessie wanted to do was sleep, but she had work to do with Sam. They went snooping down the halls again, but it was much more difficult this night, there were still too many people around. All they could do was go back to their room and wait until everyone went to bed.

Jessie opened her eyes slowly, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She was lying in bed, although she had no memory of getting there. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the small couch with Sam.

For a moment she lay still, wondering what had woken her up, then she thought she heard a sound. She laid still a moment longer, trying to get her bearings. She knew Sam wasn't in the bed with her, she assumed he was the one who had put her in the bed. She also knew there was someone in the room, but she was unsure if there was a weapon nearby.

She sat up, knocking the covers aside, turning towards the end of the bed, all in one swift motion. She could see a figure in the dark, but it was just beyond the moonlight shining in from the window close to the bed.

"Who's there?" she called firmly, but quietly.

The figure chuckled lightly before taking a step forward into the light from the window.

Jessie was taken aback by the sight of a woman. One of the women from the top five.

"Melinda?"

She chuckled ominously. "You weren't expecting me, were you?"

"What are you doing here?"

She held up a tiny see through bottle, but it was too dark to see what was inside it.

"Do you know what these are, Jessie?" she asked, shaking the bottle. The sound reminded Jessie of a baby rattle. "These are teeth. But not just any teeth. They were my grandfather's teeth."

Comprehension began to dawn on Jessie's face. She glanced around in the dark looking for some sort of weapon, but nothing was close by. She could only hope to keep her talking until Sam could show up.

"Why should that matter to me?"

"It should matter a great deal. You see, he was killed here. Died in this very room. Died, all because he wanted my grandmother to win so badly."

"Your grandfather was, Jeffery Milton, wasn't it?"

"So you've heard of him? But then again, who hasn't?" she said with a crazy look in her eyes. "They think he's been haunting this place since his death, but that couldn't be farther from the truth."

"How did you get his teeth?"

Jessie was still contemplating whether she should keep Melinda talking or jump her. She knew she could take her, but if the ghost was being controlled by her, she'd be screwed with no weapon.

"My grandma saved them. The men who attacked him, killed him, they beat him first. There was blood all over the room and a few of his teeth. She picked them up, kept them all these years."

"And what, she gave them to you to win this contest?"

She laughed maniacally. "No. My grandma had no idea about the teeth. It was my mother who gave them to me. You see, my grandma was pregnant when she was on the show. After my grandpa died, she had to raise my mom on her own. She didn't have time for my mom, but my grandpa did."

"What do you mean?"

"My mom found the teeth, kept them all these years. And when she heard I was coming on this show, she gave them to me, told me all about them."

"You mean, told you how to get your grandfather's ghost to kill people?"

She laughed. "No. I figured that out all on my own. Just like this," she said looking at her feet. "I know what this salt is for. That's why I came to your room, instead of just sending my grandfather. I knew he couldn't get to you like the others."

Jessie looked down and saw the ring of salt around the bed. It hadn't been there before. She assumed Sam must have done it before he left.

As Melinda began to push the salt with her feet, she jumped out of bed, lunging for the bottle of teeth. She slammed into the woman, sending them both falling to the floor amongst the salt, the bottle sliding away from both of them.

Jessie was struggling to get to her feet, when she felt hot white pain course through her leg. She stumbled forward, catching herself before she could smack her face off the floor, managing to turn herself onto her side. She looked down and saw a great deal of blood dripping down her leg, but she didn't have time to worry about it. The ghost was now behind Melinda, who had just gotten to her feet. She had a blade in her hand, and it looked like there was blood on it.

'_Oh great. She's got a knife, too_,' she thought. '_As if a ghost wasn't bad enough_.'

She didn't have any time to think, just react. She grabbed a handful of salt and threw it at the ghost, which disappeared with a wail. But Melinda was still there, brandishing the knife with an intensely psychotic grin. She approached her slowly, and as she bent down to stab her, Jessie grabbed another handful of salt and threw it into the woman's eyes, who shrieked with pain.

As the woman was rubbing her eyes, she rolled a short distance away from her, unable to put any pressure on her injured leg. The pain was so intense, she almost passed out when she attempted it. That single moment was long enough to allow the ghost to reappear. It slashed at her neck, only knicking her as she moved her head out of the way, reaching for more salt. She threw it at the ghost, which disappeared instantly, then scooped up more salt with her other hand in preparation for another attack.

Sam came running into the room brandishing an iron rod, before the ghost had a chance to reappear. He was shocked by the sight of the woman and her knife, but he had little time to think as the ghost suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He swung the rod through the ghost, making it disappear once again.

"Teeth, Sam!" Jessie yelled. "Find the teeth! They're on the floor!"

Melinda was still for a moment, unsure who was the greater threat. She glowered at Jessie before running at Sam, holding the knife above her, the blade facing down. She dove at Sam, trying to stab him, but he deftly moved out of the way, kicking her legs out from under her. The momentum sent her flying forwards, hitting the floor, the knife skidding away from her reach.

The ghost began rapidly appearing and disappearing in random spots around the room. Jessie continued to grab handfuls of salt to throw at it, and Sam used the iron rod to fight it off, while searching for the teeth on the floor.

"How many are there?" he asked, while continuing to search the floor.

"I don't know!" she replied.

He scrambled across the floor in search of the teeth. He found one quickly, but it was more difficult to find any more. As he reached for a second one, the woman came at him with the knife again. He dodged her attack, but the knife sliced across the upper part of his arm. It was barely more than a scratch, but it was more than a few inches long. He shoved the woman with as much force as he could, sending her flying into the furniture in the other part of the room. She tumbled over a chair, fell to the floor, unmoving.

He grabbed the second tooth off the floor, just in time for the ghost to reappear in front of him again. He hit it with the iron rod once again, before he doused both teeth in lighter fluid from his pocket, then lit them on fire. The ghost reappeared for a moment, before disappearing for good, in flash of flames and a horrible wail.

Sam glanced quickly in the direction of the woman, but she seemed unconcious, so he ran over to Jessie, who was still sitting on the floor near the bed. She had ripped a sheet off of the bed and tied it tightly around her thigh, just above the cut on her leg.

He reached out to look at the wound, but she pushed his hands out of the way.

"Leave it, Sam," she said, cringing in pain.

"I need to see how bad it is," he stated with concern, taking her hand in his.

"It's almost down to the bone and it hurts like hell."

He stood up, grabbing the phone beside the bed and called the hotel security. After the call, he sat down beside her on the floor, his arm around her.

"Who the hell is that woman?"

She snorted. "Apparently, she's the granddaughter of our ghost."

"Are you serious? How did we not catch that?"

She shook her head. "I have no clue, Sam, but..."

"What?" he asked with concern, cupping her face in his hands. "What is it, Jessie?"

"I shouldn't have been asleep. I knew better than that, and—now look where it's got me."

"I'm the one who let you sleep. It's my fault."

"What? No, it isn't. I don't know why I've been so tired lately. I used to be able to stay up two days at a time, now every day it's a damn struggle."

"It's okay, Jess," he said, brushing hair away from her face. "Hey, what's this?" he asked, looking at her neck.

"The ghost managed to cut me, but it's fine."

He moved the rest of her hair out of the way to inspect her neck. When he was sure it was fine, he laid his head against hers, releasing a weary sigh.

"You really scare me sometimes, Jessie."

She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting back tears. They weren't sad tears, they were joyful tears. She could feel how much he loved her and she felt exactly the same.

She pulled away from him so she could look into his eyes. She ran her fingers through his hair, smiling lovingly.

"I feel the same way about you, Sam."

He leaned closer, kissing her lips gently. The moment only lasted a few seconds before they were interrupted by the arrival of the hotel security.

When the security got the story of what had happened, they called the police, who showed up within minutes. Minutes after that, the EMT showed up. Then the producers showed up. By this time, Sam had lifted her onto the bed, where she was being examined by the EMT.

"I'm not going to the hospital!" Jessie stated adamantly to both the EMT and to Sam.

"You need stitches, ma'am," the tallest of the two EMT replied.

"Why can't you just do it? I don't wanna go to a hospital."  
>"Your wound is very deep. It needs to be examined by a real doctor."<br>She glanced at Sam pleadingly.

"No, Jessie. I'm with them on this one."

She sighed in resignation. "Fine. But first, I wanna speak to Eugene."

He nodded knowingly then went in search of Eugene, who was the head producer. He had been standing across the room, speaking with the hotel security.

"I'm so sorry this happened, Jessie," Eugene said.

She could tell by the look on his face he didn't really give a damn. He was only thinking about the show. She imagined he was seeing this event as an opportunity to get more publicity. Too bad she had other plans.

"I want out of my contract," she stated matter-of-factly.

"What?" he replied in shock. "I can't do that."

"You can and you will."

"Why would I do that? You're good for the show and you've done so well. Why would you want to quit after all of that?"

She desperately wanted to smack him, but she had to play this right.

"You're gonna let me out of my contract, or else."

He stood up straighter, his eyes narrowing. "Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a promise. I promise to drag you through the mud in the papers and through court."

"On what grounds?"

She snorted. "Two women were murdered and you did nothing. Your security was a joke." She paused for a moment, trying to look upset. "Melinda nearly killed me. I'm not staying here another minute. You either let me out of the contract, or I'll keep you tied up in court for years. Long after this show is only a memory."

His eyes narrowed shrewdly as he seemed to think about it.

"Fine," he replied, crossing his arms.

"That's not good enough. I want this done officially. Get your lawyer here, now."

He sighed loudly then swept from the room in a rush.

"We don't have time for this, Jessie," Sam said with agitation. "You need to get that leg stitched."

"This also needs to be taken care of now, Sam. You're lucky I even agreed to go to the hospital."

He rolled his eyes but decided not to argue with her.

It didn't take long for Jessie to get herself and Sam out of their contracts. Perhaps it was the gaping wound on her leg, her fake agitation—which became more pronounced as time passed—or maybe it was Sam's threatening look, that also became more pronounced as time went on.

"You really amaze me, Jessie," Sam said as the EMT wheeled her out of the building on a stretcher.

She smiled. "Thanks, Sam. Bobby always tells me I'm like my dad. He was a lawyer. After he quit hunting."

"He musta been one hell of a lawyer."

"He was, so I hear. Guess all the years of lying and knowing who was lying kinda helps in that profession."

He smiled, although he could see the pain in her eyes. He knew it had been a long time since her father had died, and she was so young, but it still affected her.

The EMT had stopped the stretcher behind the ambulance. That was when Dean walked up behind Sam, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"You did a great job, Jessie," he said with a smile.

She glanced at him suspiciously. "Thanks, Dean."

He chuckled. "No, I mean it. Didn't I say you'd be fine on stage?"

She wasn't sure if she should tell him it was thanks to his words, or not. She didn't need his ego swelling any larger than it already was.

"Yes, you did, Dean. Thank you for your support."

He looked at her curiously, then shot his brother a knowing look.

"I'm gonna ride with Dean to the hospital."

She nodded her head in agreement, smiling teasingly. "I'm a big girl, Sam. And I'm not dying."

He smiled, leaned over and kissed her on the forehead lightly. "I'll see you shortly."

She returned his smile, watching him leave with his brother as the EMT loaded her into the ambulance. Her smile faded as soon as the doors were closed, replaced by a scowl. The last place she wanted to be was in a hospital.

She closed her eyes, intending to relax, but she was unable to. She was feeling uneasy, but wasn't quite sure why. When the lights inside began to flicker and the vehicle took a sharp turn to the left, her uneasiness switched to panic.

She couldn't do anything while strapped down in the gurney, not that she could have with the injury to her leg. But she glanced around the inside of the ambulance, looking for any kind of weapon. There were none, but she remembered she had her cell phone in her pocket, if she could manage to get to it.

She managed to get her fingers into her pocket, but she couldn't quite grasp a proper hold of it. But panic didn't set in, until the ambulance stopped abruptly.

She turned her head around, trying to see into the front of the ambulance. She looked just in time to see the EMT on the passenger side reach over to the driver and rip his heart out. She knew what had happened, but when he turned and looked in her direction with black eyes, her worst fears were confirmed.

She struggled to break free of the straps holding her down, as the demon began to climb out of his seat, moving towards her. Then suddenly, the passenger side door flew open and something yanked the demon out of the door by it's leg.

She wasn't quite sure if she should quit struggling to get out, but she did continue trying to grab her phone, although she was pretty sure she'd never manage to get it out.

It was only moments later when someone appeared in the doorway the demon had just disappeared through. She was shocked to see the man was wearing a suit, until he turned in her direction and she recognized him.

"Crowley!"

"Hello, darling," he said with a grin. "Nice to see you again."

"What the hell are you doing?"

He raised a finger, telling her to hold on. After yelling at the demon who'd taken the driver's seat, the ambulance began to move, in a different direction than it had been.

"Where are we going?" she asked with agitation.

"You're still going to the hospital. Just not the one you were heading to."

"Why?"

"Has anyone ever said you ask too many questions?" he asked with sarcasm.

She narrowed her eyes, fumbling for her phone once again.

He sighed, climbing into the back of the ambulance, sitting down beside her.

"Long story short. The EMT were Meg's demons. She's waiting for you at the hospital. So I'm taking you to another hospital." He glanced at her with a sarcastic grin. "Does that answer all your questions?"

"No, not at all."

He shook his head slightly in annoyance. "I told you before. I don't want Meg to get her hands on you. And trust me, you don't want that to happen either."

"Obviously," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "You still haven't told me what _you_ want."

He narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "You'll know soon enough."

"That's not good enough."

"Tough!" he yelled. "I came here personally to save your ass, so you're gonna sit there and shut up!"

She sat in silence for a moment, taken aback by his yelling.

"What about Sam and Dean?"

He stood up, looking like he was about to yell again, but he caught himself.

"Feel free to call dumb and dumber when you get to the hospital. I would prefer not to see them—for obvious reason."

She looked at him suspiciously as he climbed back into the front seat, but she didn't speak to him again. The pain in her leg had become noticeable once again, after the initial adrenaline rush was over, so she laid her head back and closed her eyes, hoping for the best.

Once she had been safely wheeled into the ER, she tried to relax. She hadn't wanted to go to the hospital in the first place and now she wished she had fought Sam a little harder against it.

After the doctors got over the confusion of why she'd been brought there instead of the hospital she was supposed to have gone to, they stitched up her leg. They warned her not to walk on it for two days, and not to put her full weight on it for at least a week. It wasn't good news, but it could have been worse. At least she was happy there was no other surgery involved. No tendons or muscle had been cut.

By the time Sam and Dean showed up to the hospital, Jessie was asleep. And instead of waking her up, Sam picked her up and carried her out to the Impala, laying her down on the back seat.

"I don't know what's up with, Crowley, but I think we better figure it out, Sammy," Dean said, when his brother got into the car. "And soon."

He glanced at his brother with fear and said, "Yeah," but that was all he could say. He turned around, looking at Jessie with concern. He wished he had an idea why the demons were so interested in her. He had a feeling it had less to do with revenge, which is what his brother had suggested. He could only hope to find out what was going on before it was too late.

**A/N: What do you think Crowley is up to? Why would he personally save her?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

When Jessie woke up, she wasn't quite sure where she was for a moment. She was still a bit groggy from the painkillers she'd been given at the hospital and it was dark. But after she listened for a moment, she recognized the sound of the Impala's engine idling, although the car wasn't moving. As she glanced up towards the front seat, she couldn't see a silhouette in either seat.

She wanted to sit up, but as she moved her injured leg, the pain shooting through her reminded her what had happened last. She was about to call out, when the driver's side door opened, and someone entered the car and sat down.

"Dean?" she called hoarsely.

The dark figure turned around to look at her.

"Hey, you're awake," he replied in a hushed voice.

"What's going on? Where are we?"

"You've been asleep all day and half of the night. We're almost back at Bobby's."

"Oh."

"If you're hungry, I can go back into the store and grab you something."

It took her a few moments to think about an answer to his question, she was still out of it.

"No. I think I'll go back to sleep."

He smiled in response before turning back around.

She closed her eyes to try and sleep again, but this time it was elusive. Her leg was throbbing and her side hurt from lying the same way for so long. And then she realized she was thirsty. She didn't want to bother Dean, but she didn't see any other option.

"Dean? I'm thirsty."

He chuckled quietly before passing a bottle of water over the seat.

"What's so funny?" she asked, while taking the bottle from him.

He was silent for a moment before answering.

"Sam said the first thing you'd ask for when you woke up was something to drink."

She looked confused. "Why is that amusing, Dean?"

"It just is," he replied with a chuckle.

She wasn't sure if it was the drugs in her system, or because she was tired, but she had no idea why Dean was so amused. She decided not to worry about it, she was still tired and sore. She drank almost a quarter of the bottle, then set it on the floor, before lying down and closing her eyes.

She tried to sleep again but she couldn't get comfortable, and then she realized she had to pee.

"How close are we to Bobby's?"

"A couple hours, why?"

She was unsure if she could hold it, but she knew if she asked Dean to stop, she would need someone to help her to the bathroom. And she wasn't sure she wanted to do that just anywhere.

"No worries, Dean. I can wait."

"Are you sure?"

"Defintely."

She closed her eyes once again, doing her best to ignore the urge to pee. Eventually, the sound of the Impala's engine and the vibration of the car helped lull her to sleep again.

When she woke up again, the sun was just beginning to rise in the sky. The car had stopped and she could hear voices outside. She waited for a minute, hoping someone would open the door, but when they didn't, she tried to sit up on her own.

Sitting up wasn't very easy, not when she was sore and stiff and her left leg hurt so much. But she managed to do it with more ease than she'd imagined. Now that she was sitting up, she could see who the voices outside belonged to. Sam, Dean and Bobby.

The moment Sam noticed she was sitting up, he came to the car door and opened it.

"Are you ready to get out?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, please," she replied, returning his smile.

He asked her to put her back to him, then wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her out. And although she said it wasn't necessary, he lifted her into his arms and carried her inside.

After he helped her to the bathroom, he made her comfortable on the couch, complete with a blanket and a pillow to rest her leg on. She had refused to stay upstairs, so the couch was the next best solution.

"I still have my wheelchair if you wanna use it," Bobby teased as he walked into the livingroom.

"Oh, teasing the crippled. How funny, old man," she replied with a smile.

He chuckled. "Do you need anything, kid?"

"Yeah. My leg better so I can fix my damn car."

He laughed. "I meant, do you need something for the pain?"

"No, I think I'm okay, Bobby."

He raised his eyebrow slightly in suspicion, but didn't say anything. He knew if she needed something for the pain she would ask eventually.

The day was pretty quiet from that moment. Sam didn't stray too far from Jessie, even sleeping on the floor beside the couch that night. However, it was just as much self serving as it was because of his concern for her. Dean and Bobby had taken to teasing him about the duet he'd sung with Jessie for the show. They wouldn't tease him in front of her, because they knew it would upset her. And the only reason they cared about that was because of her injury. If she hadn't been hurt they wouldn't have cared. So he tried not to leave her side, unless he had to.

The next day began quietly, but that only lasted until the early afternoon. Some hunter—that Jessie had never heard of—had called Bobby asking for help. Bobby refused to leave Jessie alone, so he sent Sam and Dean to help in his place. And while she was happy to spend some time with Bobby, she hadn't wanted Sam to leave.

She spent the rest of the day on the couch, sleeping there as well. While she had been able to get around on her own, Bobby didn't feel right leaving her alone, so he slept downstairs.

The next day, her leg was feeling much better. So after breakfast she went outside and began the arduous task of fixing the damage to her car—against Bobby's wishes. He didn't want her outside alone, in case something happened, but he didn't stop her, he knew there was no point in trying.

She had a difficult time maneuvering herself under her car, however, she was grateful Bobby had a creeper, it made things easier. It was getting onto it and up from it that was the most difficult part. Laying on it and wheeling herself underneath was simple.

Bobby came outside and offered his help a few times, but she always insisted on doing it herself, and he knew not to push. The most help he could be was making sure she had the parts and tools she needed.

She was completely exhausted when she went to bed that night, so she had little time to dwell on how much she was missing Sam. He had called, but he had little time to chat.

She woke up first thing the next morning to once again work on her car. She'd managed to fix the suspension, but she still had the ball joints and a lot of body work to finish. The body work was her least favorite thing, besides painting. Despite all that, she still wouldn't allow Bobby to help her.

After a frustrating day of fighting with her car, she went to bed early. She was tired and sore, and she promised Bobby she wouldn't overdo it. The moment her leg began to ache more than usual, she had to quit for the day.

She woke up early the next morning, hoping the Winchesters would be there waiting, but they weren't. She hadn't even received a phone call from Sam since early the day before and she'd become increasingly worried. She didn't let Bobby know how she felt, she still had trouble speaking to him about her feelings, especially when they involved Sam.

She was underneath her car cursing up a storm while trying to free some bolts that were rusted, when a pair of feet suddenly appeared beside the car. At first she thought they were Bobby's, then she noticed they looked nothing like his shoes.

"Need some help?" Dean asked, peeking his head under the car.

She sighed loudly.

"Normally I would say no, but what the hell," she replied, pushing the creeper out from under the car.

He grinned, picking up a shop rag from on top of her car and throwing it at her.

"You have some grease on your face."

"Thanks," she said, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

He offered his hand to her, which she took, pulling her up on her feet, then grabbed the socket from her hand, laid down on the creeper, creeping under the car.

She wiped the grease from her face, while listening to Dean attempting to remove the rusted bolts. After a minute, he peeked his head out from under the car.

"Why don't you let me take care of this, Jessie?" he asked. She looked as if she was about to protest, so he quickly added, "I'm sure you missed Sam as much as he missed you."

She shot him a suspicious look, shook her head in agreement, then headed towards the house.

When she walked into the house, Sam was at the fridge with his back to her. She couldn't help but smile brightly as she approached him, although her smile quickly disappeared the moment he turned around.

"Hey," he said with warm smile, reaching his hands out for her.

She moved into his arms, smiling weakly.

"What happened to your face?" she asked, touching the large purple bruise gingerly.

"You should see what happened to the vamp who gave it to me," he replied with a grin.

She grinned teasingly. "Now you sound like your brother."

He smiled, leaned down and began to kiss her lightly at first, but it only took moments before the kiss became much deeper. He squeezed her, backing her up against the fridge, holding her tightly against it, continuing to kiss her passionately. She dug her nails into his back, moaning, as his lips moved from her mouth, across her jaw, stopping to nibble on her earlobe. As the pleasure coursed through her body, a loud moan escaped her lips. However, the moment was short lived when they heard Bobby coughing from the next room, quickly bringing them out of the moment.

"I guess you missed me," Sam said as he backed away from her slightly.

"I think you missed me more," she teased.

"That remains to be seen."

She rolled her eyes playfully in response.

He chuckled before looking much more serious. "How's the leg?"

"Better than it should be."

"How's that?" he asked curiously.

"I stayed off it for two days, but that's it. I've been pretty much working on my car ever since."

He seemed concerned for a moment, but he didn't want her turning defensive so he changed the subject.

"How's the car coming?"

"Fine," she said with a shrug. "I would give you the details but I'm sure you wouldn't care."

He looked uncomfortable for a moment, until he realized what she had meant. He wasn't really interested in the details of what needed to be fixed on the car, so she wasn't going to waste his time explaining.

"Well, I'm starving," he said quickly, changing the subject. "I didn't eat much for breakfast."

She glanced at her watch quickly. "Oh, I didn't realize how late it was. I guess I should make dinner."

"No, don't be silly. Why don't you let me cook for a change?"

While she liked Sam's choices in food better than Dean's, she wasn't quite sure how well he could cook, but she decided to let go of control for once, like she had with her car, and let someone help when they offered.

She wasn't sure what he was going to make, but she kissed him on the cheek then went outside to check on her car.

She was happy to see Dean had managed to free the bolts she'd been fighting with earlier, the quarter panel lying on the ground beside the car was proof of that. He'd also managed to take the passenger side door off and the push bar.

Dean gave her an apprehensive look as she approached, but he relaxed when she shot him a thankful smile.

"If you're gonna do that much, I hope you're gonna help me paint, too."

"All you have to do is ask," he replied with a grin.

"I just did."

He rolled his eyes. "Why don't you get washed up? You have grease all over yourself."

"What?" she said, glancing down at her body, then back at him. "Why would I do that when I still have work to do?"

"Call it, me, giving you a break."

She snorted with laughter. "Fine. But only because I'm tired and frustrated."

"Whatever you say," he teased.

She resisted the urge to kick dirt and gravel at him, only because she didn't want to do damage to the part of her car that didn't need a paint job. Instead, she rolled her eyes and proceeded to go into the house and up to her bedroom to find some clean clothes.

She was surprised to find a small box with a bow lying on her bed. She looked at it suspiciously, as if something was going to jump out of it, before approaching it slowly, sitting down on the bed beside it.

She shook the box to see what was inside, but all she could deduce was that it wasn't breakable, or heavy. She lifted the lid carefully, setting it aside. She peered into the box, pulling aside the thin white tissue paper that was on top. That was when she noticed it was an article of clothing. She smiled strangely before she lifted the clothing out of the box. Holding it at the top, she allowed it drape down so she could look at it properly. It was a dress. One of the dresses she'd worn during the filming of the TV show. The one she'd told Sam she wished she could have, despite her normal aversion to wearing a dress.

She smiled as she leapt from the bed and held it in front of her. She wasn't sure how Sam had managed to get the dress, but she wanted to wear it right away. However, she was still quite dirty, so she grabbed a quick shower before putting it on.

As she was descending the stairs, she could smell a delicious aroma wafting up the stairs. She couldn't tell what it was, but it was making her hungry. When she walked into the kitchen, she was surprised to see Sam standing by the table, which was set for two.

"What's going on?" she asked suspiciously.

He approached her, wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her. He kissed her for a minute, before pulling away slightly, gazing deep into her eyes.

"You look beautiful," he said with a loving smile.

She tried to keep her composure, but she couldn't help but blush slightly. His eyes said more than his lips ever could.

He smiled as he lead her to the table, pulling out a chair for her to sit on. When she sat down, he helped push the chair in, then sat down on the chair on the opposite side of the table.

"What is this all about, Sam?"

"I wanted to do something nice for you," he replied with a smile.

She was suspicious, but she couldn't help but smile.

"How did you manage to get this dress?" she asked. "You didnt—"

"I didn't steal it," he replied with a chuckle. "I just made a deal with Eugene."

She raised an eyebrow in question. "I'm not gonna ask."

He laughed before he stood up from the table, retrieving two plates of food from the counter, laying them on the table.

"I didn't have time to cook, but I did heat this up," he said with a grin as he sat down.

She could tell it was restaurant food, and it did look delicious, but she suddenly felt uneasy about the whole situation.

"Where's Bobby? And Dean?"

"They've left us the house for the rest of the day—and night," he replied with a seductive smile.

She returned his smile, blushing once again. Suddenly feeling embarrassed, she picked up her fork and began to eat.

They talked about trivial things while they ate, both avoiding any serious conversation. Jessie had an idea where Sam was heading with the romantic dinner, but she didn't want to jump to any conclusions. She wanted to enjoy the moment for once, not over analyze it.

After dinner, they had some champagne in the livingroom. Well, he told her it was champagne, although she knew it was sparkling wine, which was much cheaper, but it didn't matter to her.

They were cuddled up on the couch listening to music. Sam was sitting up with one arm around her, stroking her hair with the other, while she was lying her head against his chest, her eyes closed. Both of them had similar thoughts running through their head, neither wanted this moment to end.

It was a short time later when Sam leaned down and kissed Jessie on the top of her head, snapping her out of the quietly blissful moment.

She glanced up at him with a smile on her face, raising her hand to run her fingers through his hair.

He took her hand in his, raised it to his face and kissed it lightly.

"I don't want to ruin the moment, but... we need to discuss something," he said with an apologetic smile.

She sighed very lightly, sitting up straight. "I was hoping you weren't going to bring it up."

He sat up straighter, taking her hands into his, gazing into her eyes.

"Will you let me say what I need to without interrupting?"

She wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he was going to say, but somewhere deep inside her, she needed to know. She'd had some time to think about his proposal, and this time she wasn't so sure what her answer might be.

"I think so."

He squeezed her hands gently, smiling warmly.

"I've been through so much in my life, Jessie. I've loved and lost, lived and died. And, I never thought I'd ever feel like this again," he paused for a moment, smiling. "I've thought about this a lot. I want to be your husband. Your real husband."

She swallowed hard, her eyes slowly darting around to avoid his gaze. She felt incredibly uncomfortable, but at the same time she'd never felt more ecstatic in her life. He loved her enough to marry her, and she felt the same way, but at the same time she felt conflicted. She didn't want a commitment, never had. And the way her life had gone up to this point, she wasn't sure she'd ever be ready for that. But she loved Sam more than she'd loved anyone before. And his willingness to even broach this subject with her again after she'd so rudely shot him down, made her love him even more. She wanted to say yes, but she was also terribly afraid of what might happen if she did. All she knew was she had to be completely honest with him. It was the least she could do.

She gazed into his eyes intently, smiling warmly, lovingly. "I love you, Sam. I don't have any doubts about that. But marriage, that's so—permanent, and it scares me."

He chuckled warmly. "And it scares me as well. But maybe that's it. Maybe we're supposed to be scared. Maybe that's the whole point."

"To be scared?" she asked, smiling in disbelief.

"Yes," he replied with excitement. "Like a rollercoaster ride that never ends."

She laughed. "Or perhaps like our job?"

He smiled. "Yes. Only less dangerous."

"Or maybe I'm not," she teased.

"I think I'll take my chances," he replied with a smile.

She smiled, but only for a moment before her look turned serious.

"Sam—"

"Jessie," he interrupted. "Could you at least think about it before shooting me down?"

"I just have a few questions for you, before I consider it."

He looked at her curiously, then smiled. "I'm an open book."

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "Have you spoken to Bobby, or Dean about this?"

He smiled furtively. "I knew you were going to ask me that. And the answer is, yes, to both. How do you think I managed to get Bobby to leave his own house for the night?"

She glanced away looking uneasy.

"Were you hoping they might be your out?"

She turned her gaze back to him. "Something like that."

He released the grip on one of her hands, sticking it into his pocket. After a moment, he pulled out a tiny box and offered it to her.

She glanced at the box with trepidation and fear. She knew there was a ring inside, but she was too afraid to take it from him, and more than a little afraid to look inside of it.

She glanced up at him. His eyes full of happiness and love, and he was wearing the brightest smile she'd even seen. Somehow, every doubt she had disappeared at that moment.

She took the box from him, opening it slowly. She smiled as the box fully opened, revealing a small diamond engagement ring.

"How could you afford this?" she asked in surprise.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I had money put away for a new laptop that I don't need to buy any longer."

She smiled knowingly, then glanced at the ring once again. After a moments hesitation, she picked the ring up out of the box and held it out to Sam.

"Yes, Sam," she replied with a bright smile.

"Really?" he said with excitement, nearly dropping the ring as he took it from her grasp. He hurriedly slipped the ring on her finger before she could change her mind.

She was visibly shaking as she stared at the ring on her finger, which managed to fit perfectly. She could only stare at it in wonder, her mind in shock.

Sam leaned close, gently grasped her face with his hands and began to kiss her deeply. Soon, both were completely caught up in the passion of the moment, making love on the couch and on the floor, before making it upstairs, where they made love again, before falling asleep in each other's arms.

When Jessie woke up the next morning, her body was entwined with Sam's, but her left hand was visible and the diamond on the engagement ring was sparkling in the morning sun that was pouring in from the window, reminding her about the evening before.

She didn't want to leave the comfort of Sam's arms, but she was uncomfortable and she really had to use the bathroom. But after trying to untangle herself slowly and quietly—so she wouldn't wake him—she became impatient, waking him up so she could climb out of bed.

After using the bathroom, she jumped into the shower to wash. It was minutes later when Sam jumped into the shower with her, with something other than washing on his mind. By the time they made it downstairs, it was nearly noon. And by the time Jessie cooked breakfast, it was after noon.

They were still eating when Bobby and Dean walked into the house with strange looks on their faces. Jessie suddenly felt uncomfortable as they glanced simultaneously at her left hand.

"So...when's the date?" Dean asked with a grin as he sat down at the table beside his brother, grabbing his toast off of his plate and began eating it.

She glanced uneasily at Sam who shrugged his shoulders. Neither of them had even discussed a date.

"Well hopefully it's soon," he said, glancing at his brother knowingly. "I know where you can honeymoon."

She shot Sam a curious look, who shrugged in response.

"Oh, come on, Sammy. Don't you remember what time of year it is?" he asked, not bothering to wait for a response. "The hot desert air. The scantily clad women. The gambling."

He rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Don't tell me you forgot about our annual trip to Vegas?"

"I didn't forget."

"What then?"

He sighed in disbelief, glancing at Jessie.

"I think, he means he needs to discuss it with me first," she replied shortly. She wasn't angry. She just felt like making him feel small for jumping to conclusions.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise, grinning furtively. "And here I thought you said you'd never stop us from doing brotherly things together."

"Are you testing my patience today, Dean?"

He smiled teasingly. "Maybe a little. I thought you'd be in a better mood."

"I was. Until you got here," she replied with a teasing grin.

"Oh, come on now. You know your day isn't complete without seeing me."

"You're right, Dean. I can't live without you."

"Alright, that's enough," Bobby interrupted. "Why don't you two idgits," he said while shooting looks at Sam and Dean, "go find something useful to do."

The brothers shot each other a knowing glance before they quickly left the room.

Bobby sat down at the table next to Jessie, turning the chair so he could face her. He seemed to be incredibly uncomfortable.

"What is it, Bobby?" she asked, hoping to help his unease.

He shifted his gaze from her face, then to the side and back again, clearly uncomfortable.

"I never thought I'd have to have this discussion with you," he replied, swallowing hard.

Her eyes went wide in shock. "Oh my god, Bobby. I swear if the word sex comes out of your mouth—I will scream."

He chuckled uncomfortably. "No. I think you're old enough to know all about that."

"Then cut to the chase, old man."

"I just want to make sure you've thought all of this through."

She shook her head in disbelief. "So instead of speaking to me about this beforehand, you let Sam have the house so he could spring it on me? And then, you decide to discuss the pitfalls with me afterwards? Do I have that right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Jessie. You're a big girl and I know you can make up your own mind. I just want to make sure you've really thought this through."

"What's there to think about, Bobby? Sam and I love each other. We want to be together. End of story."

"There's so much more, Jess. What about where you're going to live? Or, what about kids? Do you think the two of you can travel around with his brother forever?"

She looked at him with shock, clearly surprised by his questions.

"I have a house, Bobby. As for kids, I don't want any. And the hunting, we'll see where that leads us."

He looked shocked and somehow saddened by her response.

"Have you even discussed these things with, Sam?"

"What about, Bobby? He knows about the house and he knows I'm not about to quit hunting."

He sighed. "What about kids?"

"What about them?"

"Why would you say you don't want any, Jess? I know you used to."

She snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, used to. That was before I knew about all the evil creatures in the world. Before I knew about demons, before I knew that angels existed and they were douchebags. Why would I want to bring a child into this world?"

He shook his head sadly. "I understand how you feel. But you need to discuss these things with, Sam, dontcha think?"

"Maybe," she answered quietly. "But I'll deal with that if and when I have to, Bobby."

"Jess—"

"No, Bobby," she interrupted, lying a hand on his. "You're sweet for worrying, but this is between Sam and I."

He nodded his head. "As long as you've put some thought into it."

She patted him on the back as she stood up. "I have Bobby. Don't worry so much."

"I hope so," he muttered as she left the room.

Jessie headed up to her bedroom to make a couple of quick phone calls. The first, was a call to Mike. He was busy when she called, so she only had time to give him the good news before he had to go. The second call was to the priest she'd known since childhood. As much as she hated religion, or church, she wanted him to marry her. She'd known him for as long as she could remember, and he had helped her out on several occassions over the years. If anyone was going to marry her, she wanted it to be him.

After she completed the phone calls, she pulled out her laptop and began to peruse through news sites, at some point dozing off. She awoke a short time later to Sam sitting on the bed beside her.

"I guess I tired you out last night," he said to her with a seductive grin.

She rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Not to deflate your ego or anything, but I've been tired a lot lately," she teased.

He smiled, deciding to change the subject.

"What did Bobby want earlier?"

"Oh, he was just being an overprotective father," she said with a smile.

"So he didn't talk you out of it, huh?"

"No," she replied with a short laugh.

"Then we should talk about a date."

"Funny. I was just gonna say the same thing to you."

He stretched out on the bed beside her, kissing her on the cheek lightly. "I'm all ears."

"What about next week?"

"Next week?" he answered in surprise.

"Is that too far away?" she asked, trying her best to supress a grin.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Are you teasing me?"

"Yes, and no," she replied with a grin. "But seriously, is next Friday good? That's the only day I could get in."

"I'm afraid to ask, but, get in where?"

She sighed exaggeratedly, trying to feign annoyance. "The church. To get married."

He shot her a look of complete surprise. "A church? Seriously?"

"Oh, don't be so surprised, Sam," she replied with a smile. "I'm not religious or anything."

"Then what?"

"My grandparents took me to church every Sunday. And when I was young, I always fantasized about getting married in that little church. I know it sounds weird, but I have a lot of good memories from those days. Also, the priest is a good friend."

He laid his hand on her arm, smiling warmly. "If that's what will make you happy."

"It will," she replied with a smile.

"Good. Then I'll let you take care of it, if that's okay with you."

She nodded, wrapped her arm around him, then pulled him close and kissed him lightly for a moment.

"Not to change the subject or anything," he said with a questioning look. "But, what were you up to on the laptop?"

"I was looking for a case, why?" she asked curiously.

"Oh," he said with a chuckle. "I thought maybe you'd been reading the tabloids."

"Why would I...oh, that," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I could care less what the media is saying about me."

"You mean you haven't looked at any of it?" She shook her head. "Not even once?"

"No, Sam," she replied, sighing impatiently. "I've had other things on my mind. Like my leg, and my car."

"And me, I hope," he said with an impish grin.

"Now why would I do that?" she teased.

He grinned, reaching for her hand. "Come on, it's almost dinner."

The rest of the day, and night, was spent discussing the plans for the rushed wedding. Jessie didn't want anything special. She just wanted her closest friends and family there. Dean was Sam's best man, Bobby was going to give her away, and she wanted Mike to be her maid of honor. Dean had laughed at this, but she didn't find it as hilarious as he did. It's not like she was going to make him wear a dress, although, she would pay to see Dean in a dress. And she would make sure to get pictures if that ever happened.

The next day, Jessie and Dean spent the entire day painting her car. It was tedious and time consumming, but they managed to get it all done, they only had to wait for it to dry. She was completely exhausted as she laid down to sleep that night.

Her sleep was anything but peaceful that night. She had vivid dreams, or rather nightmares, of things she'd rather not think about. So when she awoke in the morning, she felt like she'd been up all night.

She had a difficult time becoming motivated that day. She didn't even feel like doing anything but sleep. Not even her car mattered, she allowed Dean to put the panels back onto her car without even supervising.

Bobby and the boys were worried, but she explained about the nightmares and hoped they would believe it. She thought there was more to it, but she wasn't about to worry anyone until she was absolutely sure.

After sleeping much of the day, and much of that night, she woke up the day after feeling somewhat rested. She once again had had some vivid dreams, but this time they were only dreams, no nightmares.

Jessie and the Winchesters were preparing to run some errands that day, when Bobby announced he had a case for them. It was nearby and seemed simple enough that it wouldn't interfere with the day of the wedding, not that they wouldn't have taken the case either way. Hunting was always more important.

They drove south for a couple of hours—in the Impala—arriving where they needed to be in the early afternoon. Since it was difficult to explain why there needed to be three FBI agents, Jessie was the odd man out. She stayed in the car while the boys were asking questions.

"So what's going on?" she asked as the boys climbed into the Impala.

"The cops are gonna be there for a few more hours. Looks like we're gonna have to come back tonight," Dean replied.

"And what about the case?"

He snorted. "The cops are morons, as usual. They think it was a murder suicide. Kinda hard to kill yourself by slicing your neck down to the spinal cord."

"I was doing some research while you guys were inside," she said. "It seems there used to be an old funeral home on this property about sixty or so years ago, until it burned down. The property sat vacant since then, until two months ago, when this house was built on the original foundation."

"What're you thinking, Jessie?" Sam asked.

"I'm thinking there might be bodies buried on this property somewhere. Most probably under the house itself."

"Well that'll be kind of inconvenient for us. We have no idea where, why, or who," Dean replied.

"Definitely. And showing up at night is probably a bad idea, but we have no choice," she said.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Sam said.

"When don't you?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"That's enough," she snapped. "We'll go kill some time, do some research and come back tonight."

The brothers shot each other an apprehensive glance, but neither responded. Dean just put the car into gear and began to drive through town, searching for a motel to settle in to.

After several hours of research—and a trip to the library—didn't bring them any closer to answers, they headed back to the house. It was dark, and the police were gone, but they decided to park around the block, just in case.

They approached the house from the backyard, since there was no fence, and it backed on to a wooded lot. It was nearly completely devoid of any source of light. There were no lights and the tree cover blotted out the moonlight, so they could only see as far as their flashlights would allow.

After taking their time to unsnag themselves—and the shovels that Dean and Sam were carrying—from several low hanging branches, they crossed the backyard quickly. It took Dean a few moments to pick the lock to the backdoor, then they piled into the house.

They quickly found the door to the basement, which Jessie climbed down first, since she wasn't encumbered with a shovel. She found a light switch at the bottom of the stairs, which she turned on, then shoved her flashlight into the pocket of her pants, retrieving her EMF meter from her other pocket.

She began to scan the basement as the boys made it down the stairs. They were pleased to see the basement was mostly in its original state. The floor was still dirt and unfinished and so were the walls. They were made of stone.

"Well, thankfully we don't don't need a jackhammer," Dean said as he laid his shovel against the wall, so he could put his flashlight away. His brother nodded in agreement.

Jessie walked around the room until she found a strong presence on the EMF meter. It was close to the middle of the room, so that's where the boys decided to begin digging. She just looked around while they dug, happy that the men were doing the work. She hated when men assumed that she can't do anything laborious, but digging was one of those jobs she didn't mind passing along. She hated it.

The men dug for thirty minutes before they found anything besides dirt, their shovels making the unmistakeable sound of hitting bone. Jessie jumped down into the hole to help them uncover the rest of the skeleton.

"These bones are charred," she said to no one in particular.

Sam stood up, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Maybe it happened when the place burned down."

"I don't know, Sam," she replied. "I would think that a fire that big would've disintegrated these bones. They seem fully intact to me."

"I hate to interrupt your musings, but...we have more than one body here," Dean said.

The couple shot each other a look of shock, moving closer to see what he'd found.

"Unless it's a three-legged man, Dean," she teased.

He rolled his eyes, before continuing to dig the bones out of the dirt.

Jessie took Sam's shovel so she could help Dean uncover the second skeleton, while Sam worked on uncovering the remaining bones from the first skeleton.

They'd almost uncovered both skeletons, when Jessie noticed the sudden drop in temperature. She shot Dean an apprehensive glance, before reaching for her gun, which had been stashed in the back of her jeans. But by the time the ghost apparated, she hadn't had the chance to pull out her gun before the ghost sent her flying backwards a few feet.

"Jessie!" the boys yelled in unison.

"Behind you, Dean!" she yelled as she got to her feet.

Sam was quick, managing to shoot the ghost, who disappeared with a shriek, but they all knew it would be back, probably sooner, rather than later.

"Sam," she yelled. "Burn those bones! Dean and I can keep the ghost away."

He nodded, reaching for the shovel, and began to frantically dig up the remaining bones, while Jessie and Dean stood watch, their guns poised and ready.

A minute later, the ghost reappeared, which she was able to take care of, but then a second ghost immediately appeared after the first one had disappeared.

"Dean!" she yelled, but he'd reacted a moment quicker, dispatching it quickly.

"Hurry up, Sam," he snapped. "There's two of 'em now."

Jessie and Dean continued to shoot the ghosts when they appeared, having no difficulty, until Sam had finished digging up the bones and began pouring salt on them. That was the moment they became quicker, and much angrier.

The ghosts began appearing and disappearing at the same time, doing their best to confuse both Jessie and Dean, until they managed to send both of them flying backwards at the same time, both hitting the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of them for a moment.

"Dean! Jessie!" Sam yelled, pulling his gun out.

"Just burn the damn bones!" his brother yelled when he finally caught his breath.

Sam frantically poured gas on the bones, as his brother and Jessie continued to get knocked around by the ghosts. But once he managed to ignite the gas on the bones, they disappeared instantly in a flash of flames and a blood curdling scream.

"You okay, Dean?" she asked as she offered her hand out to him.

"Yeah, I'm good," he replied as he allowed her to help him up from the ground. "Thanks."

She nodded her head, then began brushing dirt from her clothes. "Well, this was fun," she said sarcastically.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked Jessie with concern as he approached her.

She narrowed her eyes at him slightly. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, Sam," she lied.

There was something wrong, but she didn't want to bring it up at the moment.

"I hate to break up this awkward moment," Dean said sarcastically. "But I think we should get outta here."

Everyone nodded in agreement, hastily grabbing their belongings, leaving the house the same way they'd entered it. They were a little more careful as they walked through the wooded area on the way back to the car, since they weren't in as much of a hurry. After setting their belongings back in the trunk of the car, the drove back to their motel room.

**A/N: So, Jessie said yes. What do you think changed her mind?**

**Another long chapter, sorry about that. I already had to change where I separated the chapters once *sigh***

**Thanks for reading!**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The first thing Dean did when he arrived back at the motel was grab a quick shower. He was sweaty, dirty and his muscles were aching from digging and being thrown around. It gave Jessie the opportunity to talk to Sam about something that had been on her mind for awhile.

"Are you really okay?" Sam asked as he sat on the couch next to Jessie. "You seem preoccupied in thought."

"Yeah, you could say that," she replied evenly. "There's something I realized I need to speak to you about."

"Okay..."

"Before I begin, I want you to realize this isn't up for discussion," she said. He shot her an apprehensive look, but the serious look she returned kept him silent. "I know you're not gonna like this, but I've been thinking about this a lot. I need you to promise me something."

"Anything," he replied hesitantly.

"You're very sweet to agree before I even tell you what it is," she said with a warm smile. "But I know you're not gonna like it."

She paused, reaching out to take his hand. "I want you to promise, that if we're ever on a hunt and you have to choose between saving me or your brother, that you'll choose him."

"What?" he said with dismay, pulling his hand from hers. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Why would you make me promise something like that?"

She sighed, looking pensive. "Because I've had some time to think about this, and it's what's right."

"I think you've lost your mind, Jess."

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "You worry about me way too much. When the three of us are hunting, you're so busy worrying about me, you seem to forget about your brother. I can't be the reason something happens to him, Sam. I won't be."

"It wouldn't be your fault if I did choose, you know that, right?"

"That's not the point though, Sam."

"Then what is?"

"He's your brother, Sam. The two of you have been to hell and back for each other. And no matter how things go between us, we'll never have the kind of bond the two of you have."

He laughed ironically. "You mean crazy and dysfunctional?"

"I don't have to explain it. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

He knew what she meant, but he didn't want to continue with the conversation. However, he knew she wasn't going to let it drop until he gave her a satisfactory answer.

"I understand where you're coming from, but I don't think I can promise that."

She looked at him with disappointment for a moment, then shook her head in understanding.

"I guess I understand, Sam. But I want you to know. If it ever comes down to choosing between me and your brother, I wouldn't blame you for choosing him."

He smiled supportively. "Let's hope it never comes to that."

Dean walked out of the bathroom at that moment, interrupting the awkwardness between the couple.

"Are we heading back to Bobby's now, or are we staying here for the night?" he asked, completely oblivious to the situation he'd interrupted.

She shrugged. "It's up to you and Sam. I don't care one way or the other."

After much discussion, the three of them decided to stay the night and leave early in the morning, since it wasn't a long drive back to Bobby's. It wouldn't have mattered to the boys, but Jessie was bruised, battered and exhausted, and both of them could see it. Sam wasn't the only one concerned about her this time, but Dean knew it wasn't his place to mention it. He could only hope that she would feel better in the morning.

Jessie tossed and turned much of the night, keeping the brothers from getting much sleep. And although Dean was sleeping in a separate bed, it disturbed him as well—even after he had a few shots of whiskey, hoping to help him sleep.

When she woke in the morning, she was still tired, but the concerned faces of the brothers kept her from mentioning that fact. She had begun to worry about herself as well, but she would never let either of them know. At this point, she just wanted to get through the wedding ceremony and the honeymoon, then she could allow herself to take a break and visit a doctor. She just wanted to believe it was nothing important, blaming it on her lack of a nutritious diet, although she knew that couldn't be the only thing that was attributing to her exhaustion. She just had no idea what it could be.

They left almost immediately after waking, only stopping to grab something quick to eat—and of course, coffee—arriving at Bobby's in the late morning.

The first thing Jessie did when they arrived was check out her car. The paint was now dry and she was pleased to see Bobby had waxed it for her. As much as she loved riding in the Impala, she was happy to see her car back in good condition, and, she loved her own car more.

When she walked into the kitchen, Bobby and the Winchesters gave her the distinct feeling she'd interrupted something. She had an idea what was going on, but she went about her business pretending she had no idea.

She did her best to keep herself busy the entire day, avoiding any sort of conversation with anyone, including Sam. And when it became late, she went to bed without even a good night to anyone. It wasn't because she was angry with anyone, far from it. She just didn't think their depth of concern was warranted.

The next morning when she awoke, Jessie felt energetic and cheery. In fact, she felt so good, she decided to clean up Bobby's house. It had been awhile since she'd done that and it really needed it. The men seemed to shoot her suspicious glances every so often, but there was nothing for them to be suspcious about, she was genuinely fine.

The next few days went by rather slowly for Jessie. She was bored with nothing to hunt, and planning the wedding took nothing, since it was only a basic ceremony. Sam had bought her dress, Mike was going to be bringing her a bouquet, the license had been taken care of, and the tuxes, and the rings. There was nothing left to do but show up.

Thursday, the day before the wedding, they all left early in the morning for Jessie's house. The Winchesters rode in the Impala, while Bobby rode with Jessie in her Caprice. It was the first time she'd had a chance to drive her car since the accident with the demons and she was taking full advantage of it. However, when Bobby eventually told her she was driving too fast, she knew she was overdoing it.

She took the scenic route to her house, but she still managed to beat Dean by a few minutes, and of course, she made sure she teased him about it. She knew he didn't care, but she enjoyed teasing him anyway. It was almost like having a brother of her own.

With her new found energy, which was mostly a product of her anxiety and excitement, she cleaned her house from top to bottom, keeping herself busy. She knew that once she settled down, she would just become nervous, and she hated that feeling almost as much as feeling vulnerable.

It was difficult to find sleep that night, but eventually her exhaustion won over her excitement. She knew she'd be waking up to a virtually empty house, which in the past never bothered her, but now it did. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she'd come to depend on having others around.

Bobby woke Jessie up the next morning when Mike showed up to help her get ready. She'd been hoping to sleep a little longer, but she should have expected he would show up early, he always did.

Her nerves began almost immediately after she got out of bed. She barely made it into the bathroom when her nausea got the best of her and she vomited in the toilet.

"Do you need me to come hold your hair, Jess?" Mike asked as he opened the door slowly.

She wiped her face, glancing up at him from the floor with shame.

"I'm okay, Mike. I just get sick when I'm nervous," she replied, standing up slowly.

"Since when?" he asked with surprise.

She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Since that damn TV show," she replied with disdain.

"I know I've told you before, but you were awesome."

She smiled thankfully, then began brushing her teeth.

After she was done showering, she got into the dress Sam had got for her, smiling as her mind wandered to the last time she'd worn it. If not for that night, she wouldn't be here, preparing herself to marry him. It felt like a dream.

Once she was fully dressed, Mike helped her with her hair and make-up. He put her hair into an updo, leaving several strands loose around the sides of her face, which he curled into ringlets. He also sprinkled some sparkles into her hair after he sprayed it with hair spray.

"You're almost as good as the stylists on that TV show," she teased as she looked at herself in the mirror.

He grinned. "You're so beautiful you make it easy."

She blushed slightly, turning to face him. "It's a good thing you're gay or Sam might kick your ass for flirting with me."

He chuckled. "Nah, I think Sam is a pussy cat. You would be the one to kick my ass."

"And don't you forget it," she said with a smile, turning back to the mirror.

She couldn't help but stare at herself, amazed by how she looked. Never in a million years could she have allowed herself to imagine a day like this. Yet here she was, all dressed up, getting ready to get married. She could only hope her parents and grandparents would be happy for her.

"Don't you think it's time to go," Mike said, laying a hand on her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts.

She turned around, just in time to hear an impatient knock at the door.

"Coming, Bobby," she said, grinning wildly.

She turned around as the bathroom door opened and heard Bobby gasp in surprise when he saw her.

"You look beautiful, Jess," he said, beaming proudly.

"Thanks, old man," she said, smiling affectionately.

"Well, we better not keep Sam waiting," he said awkwardly.

She smiled in amusement, following him from the house.

It wasn't a long drive from her house to the church, but it was rather an awkward one. She wasn't used to Bobby driving her car, and with the amount of talking Mike was doing, she thought Bobby was going to go nuts. It didn't bother though, it had been so long since she'd been able to sit and speak with Mike in person for any length of time, she actually missed it.

When they arrived at the little church, the first thing Jessie noticed was the Impala parked out front. She wasn't sure why, but just seeing it made her begin to panic slightly. She cast a nervous glance at Mike as he helped her out of the car. He smiled supportively in return, but said nothing. He seemed to know what she was thinking.

As she walked into the church, she noticed the doors to the main part of the church were closed. She knew why, and she was glad they were. She was afraid if they were opened any sooner then before she was about to walk down the aisle, she would take off running in the other direction and not look back—ever. She hadn't realized exactly how nervous she was until that moment.

"I'll be back in a minute," she announced to Bobby and Mike, before running down the hallway to the right.

When she made it to the bathroom, she thought she was going to vomit, but she didn't. Her stomach felt incredibly queasy, which she could only imagine was due to her anxiety about getting married.

There was a knock at the door a minute later.

"Can I come in?" Mike asked with concern.

She opened the door hesitantly, closing it as soon as he was in the room.

"Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder supportively.

"Yeah, I think so."

"What's going on with you?" he asked with worry. "I've never known you to act like this before?"

She wasn't sure why, but the way he spoke suddenly made her defensive.

"And when's the last time I got married?" she replied with annoyance.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Do you really think that's going to work with me, Jess? I know you better than that."

She snorted. "I'm beginning to regret that."

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay, I get it. Enough with the worry. I'm sorry."

She smiled teasingly. "I've trained you so well."

He laughed. "I hope Sam realizes what he's getting himself in to."

She slapped him playfully. "Well now I'm hurt."

He watched as she seemed to relax, a slight smile creeping across her face. He only hoped he could keep her from going off the deep end again.

"We better not keep them waiting, honey."

She narrowed her eyes teasingly. "You're lucky I love you, 'cause I don't let just anyone call me honey."

"Why not? You're that sweet," he teased back.

She made pretend gagging noises. "Yeah, whatever."

He smiled, pleased that he'd put her in a better state of mind.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said with determination. "Let's do this."

He took her outstretched hand into his and lead her back to the front of the church where Bobby was waiting, somewhat, patiently for them to return.

"Are we good?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm good, Bobby," she replied with a smile.

Mike gave her hand to Bobby, then retrieved her bouquet from a nearby table where he'd set it down. After handing it to her, he opened the church doors, waiting for the music.

Jessie glanced through the open doors into the church. It was quite a distance away, but she could see Sam, standing tall, facing the now open doors. She felt her breath catch in her throat for a moment, so she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Bobby squeezed her hand supportively, which also helped.

When the music began to play, she felt herself shake nervously. She wished now that she would've opted out of the full ceremony, but she knew that no one was going to let that happen, especially Mike.

Once Mike was in his place, Jessie, with her arm in Bobby's, began to walk slowly down the aisle. As frightened and anxious as she was, the closer she made it to Sam, the bigger her smile became. She didn't even know how she made it down the aisle, to stand in front of him with her legs feeling so weighted down, but she did, and his smile was probably even brighter than hers.

She glanced quickly at Dean, who was smiling proudly, before she took Sam's hand. He was smiling so brightly it nearly melted her heart. She always loved to see him smile. It always made her smile even more brightly.

After he took her hand, he mouthed, '_I love you_' and she did the same in return, then both of them turned towards the priest and he began the ceremony. They both made it through the vows they'd written with very few problems, except for some snickering from Dean, which earned him a stern look from Bobby. In fact, everything went well, until the priest asked if anyone opposed the marriage. That was when a gravelly voice could be heard from behind the priest saying, "I do."

The priest turned around quickly, allowing everyone to see who had spoken. It was Castiel the angel.

"Cas?" Dean called.

"Who is this?" the priest asked with surprise.

Jessie and Sam were looking at each other with dismay, while Bobby was staring at the angel angrily.

"He's an angel," Dean replied.

The priest was taken aback, staring at him with disbelief.

"Unfortunately it's true," Jessie said, before turning to Cas. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm sorry," he replied in the same gravelly voice.

She glared at him furiously. "I'm sorry! That's all you have to say is, I'm sorry?"

"Jessie," Sam said gently, laying his hand on her shoulder.

"No, Sam!" she yelled. "Why the hell is he doing this?"

"Sam, take her outside," Bobby said commandingly. "Your brother and I will deal with this."

He nodded his head, wrapping his arm around her and led her out of the church, while she continued to try and turn around and go back inside to confront him.

"Jessie, please calm down," he begged, once they were outside. "Getting upset isn't going to help."

"Calm down? Are you being serious?" she snapped. "We should be in there, Sam. Not standing out here."

"Bobby asked us to wait out here."

"And you always listen to Bobby?"

He sighed. "I know you're upset, but he'll straighten it out."

She sighed, leaning her head against his chest and closed her eyes, allowing him to wrap his arms around her tightly.

"You always know what I need," she said softly, squeezing her arms around his waist.

He kissed her lightly on the head. "I never got to tell you how beautiful you look."

She moved her head back slightly, gazing up into his warm and loving eyes with a smile as equally warm and loving. "You didn't have to, but thanks for saying it."

"Wow! No sarcastic comment, huh?" he teased.

"Nah. I know I look good," she teased back.

"There it is," he replied with a smile. "I knew you couldn't resist it for long."

"Of course not," she said with a smirk.

He leaned down, kissing her very softly for a moment before pulling away with a smile.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked making a pouty face.

He smiled. "I don't wanna mess up your make-up—yet."

"I guess that's a good reason," she replied with a smile.

He had begun to stroke the ringlets on the side of her hair, when he noticed Dean walking towards them. He nudged her gently, loosening the grip he had around her waist with his other hand.

"Bobby wants you two to come back inside now," Dean said impassively.

"Is _he_ still there?" she asked with irritation.

He gazed at her quietly for a moment before deciding to answer.

"Just come back inside," he finally replied, before turning on his heel and heading back into the church.

She gazed at Sam, who only shrugged his shoulders before taking her by the hand and began leading her back into the church. She honestly didn't want to go, but not facing a problem head on was not her M.O., and, she wasn't going to let the angel ruin her day. Besides, she wanted to be wherever Sam was.

When they walked back into the church, the first thing she noticed was Mike and the priest sitting in one of the pews together. Both turned and glanced at them simultaneously, the expressions on their face unreadable. She then noticed that Castiel was still in the same spot, speaking with Bobby, and Dean was off to the side slightly. They all turned to glance at the couple as well, also with unreadable expressions.

As they approached the unsual group, Sam squeezed Jessie's hand supportively, casting her a supportive glance once they stopped walking. She returned his gaze thankfully, swallowed hard, shuffling around anxiously.

Castiel waited until the exchange between the couple was finished, before apologizing to both of them.

"That's all you can say is, sorry?" she snapped.

"Jessie," Bobby called harshly. "Just let him explain what's going on."

She opened her mouth to respond, but Sam gently squeezed her hand again, making it possible for her to calm herself down slightly. She took a deep calming breath, trying not to be so defensive.

"Fine."

The angel seemed like he attempted to smile at her, but she didn't care. Whatever he had to say wouldn't excuse him from interrupting her big day.

"I've been following some demons around as an attempt to find out what they are planning as far as the two of you go," he said, glancing at the couple in turn. "I have been unable to find any information about Crowley. However, I did find out that Meg and her minions are rejoicing in this union between you two. That in itself is cause for concern."

"Are you telling me you interrupted my wedding because you were concerned?" she snapped, unable to keep quiet any longer.

"I was hoping to persuade you to hold off until I am able to find out more information."

She snorted. "And you couldn't have asked us sooner? Perhaps _before_ we walked into the church?"

"I was unaware it was happening so soon," he replied, trying to sound sympathetic.

She turned around in frustration, walking a distance away from everyone, her eyes closed. She could hear Sam speaking to Castiel, but she wasn't listening, she was lost in her own thoughts. She was thinking about her initial reaction to Sam bringing up the topic of marriage. She almost wished now she'd continued to refuse him. It seemed like it would have saved everyone a lot of hassle.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't even notice when the angel left, or when Bobby called her. It wasn't until Sam came up behind her, laying his hands on her shoulders, that she snapped out of it.

"Are you okay, Jessie?"

"Yeah, fine," she replied quickly, turning around to face him. "What's going on?"

He leaned in close to her, placing his hands on her side.

"Do you still want to go through with this?" he asked with a hushed voice. "I would understand if you didn't want to."

Part of her knew she should say no, knew she should run in the other direction and not look back, but, the rest of her was so madly in love with him there was no way she could walk away from him that easily.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," she replied with a warm smile.

He returned her smile just as warmly, then took her hand and led her back to their spot in front of the priest, who began the ceremony from where they'd left off, omitting the part about any objections. He figured the objections had already been dealt with so it was irrelevant to ask again.

Although in her mind, the ceremony had been marred by Castiel's visit, everyone else seemed perfectly content to pretend nothing had happened, so that was what she attempted to do too. It was difficult, incredibly difficult. But Sam had a way of keeping her from dwelling on it too much.

After thanking the priest for the ceremony, Sam took Jessie's hand, leading her out to her car. He helped her into the passenger side, then took the driver's seat and began driving.

"Where are we going?" she asked only moments after he pulled away from the church.

He grinned conspiratorially. "What's a wedding without a reception?"

Her smile disappeared quickly. "What did you do?"

He chuckled. "It wasn't me, it was Mike."

"Oh no," she said raising her hands to her face, then dropping them quickly. "This could be bad."

"He promised it would be fine, Jessie," he said, reaching out to take her hand with his free hand.

His touch instantly made her forget about anything else but him. She loosened the seatbelt, removing the arm strap so she could lay against him, his free arm wrapped around her. They drove like that for a long time before either of them felt the need to speak.

"Did I ever thank you for allowing me to hypenate my last name?" she asked, turning her head aside so she could see his face.

He smiled. "I completely understand why you wanted it that way. You're the last Drake. I know it means a lot to you. Besides, I kinda like the sound of, Jessie Drake-Winchester. Jessie Winchester just doesn't have the same ring to it."

"No, you're right," she said with a smirk. "I'm glad you agree with me. It's a good start."

"You're gonna start with that already, huh?" he asked with a grin.

"You know it."

"I guess I should feel special since you didn't argue with me about driving," he teased.

"I gotta let you have your way once in awhile, right? To keep you interested," she teased back.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, something like that."

She sighed contentedly, closing her eyes. "I love you, Sam."

"I love you, too," he said, squeezing her tightly.

They drove in silence during the rest of the drive, neither of them felt there was anything else needed to be said. Anything that needed to be said could be conveyed by a simple touch or look, there were no need for words.

When they arrived at Frank's bar, Jessie was neither surprised nor impressed. They'd never discussed any sort of party or celebration, so when she heard Mike had arranged it she knew exactly what she was in for. She could only hope it went better than the last couple of times she'd been at the bar. She wasn't dressed for another demon attack, that was for sure. Although she never went anywhere without her silver knife—which was in it's sheath, held to her inner thigh by a special strap—it would be absolutely useless against a demon.

She allowed Sam to pull her inside the bar, where much of the crowd screamed their congratulations when the couple walked in. Most of the people she recognized, and many of those were either people she went to school with or friends and acquaintances of her grandparents. She felt very little for the majority of them, but that didn't really matter to her. She would've been happy if only a few people had showed. All she really wanted to do was go home and be with Sam.

The couple had their first dance, which was slightly awkward for Jessie, she had never been much for slow dancing, especially in front of so many people. But it wasn't long before many other couples joined them on the dance floor as well, making her feel a little better.

The next awkward moment was when she danced with Dean. It wasn't actually dancing with him that was the awkward part, he was the best man after all. The awkward part was, normally the groom would dance with the maid of honor, and there was no way Sam would dance with Mike. Everyone had a little chuckle about it, but she could tell Mike was a little upset about the teasing. He was still sensitive about his sexual orientation. But she wouldn't let that ruin his night, not in this crowd. She was positive they remembered the last time she took care of someone who bullied him, and wedding night or not, in a dress or not, she wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

The next dance she had was with Bobby, and she nearly cried. It wasn't just the proud smile on his face that did it to her, but this was one of those moments she wished her real family was there too. But since they couldn't be, she couldn't have hoped for someone better than Bobby to be in their place.

There were two events that happened at wedding receptions that she was glad she didn't have to deal with. They were something she was dreading, so when they didn't happen, she was relieved. The first, was smashing cake into their new spouses' face. She'd never understood it, so she was grateful when no one expected it to happen.

The second, was the removing of the garter belt by the groom with his teeth. While she wasn't a prude, she definitely wasn't going to allow Sam to do that in front of a crowd of people. Besides, the only 'belt' she had on, was the one holding her knife in place. That would have seemed incredibly strange to everyone, except for maybe a hunter.

She enjoyed half a glass of champagne near the beginning of the night, then never had another drop of any alcohol the rest of the night. Sam had been drinking a little and she knew he wasn't fit to drive, so she stayed sober enough for the both of them. She wanted to take him home when the party was finished, and she wanted to be alone. She also wanted to be completely sober so she could remember the night forever.

The funniest part of the night was when they played the song that she'd sang with Sam on the TV show. Everyone ribbed him about it and he was slightly embarrassed, but he told her later that he'd secretly enjoyed it, although he thought his voice could use some work. It was true, but she humored him, telling him he sounded fine, but he knew she was lying, but loved her for it.

Jessie was finally able to talk Sam into leaving the party around midnight. She drove, even after he insisted he was fine. She knew he wasn't and that he was just trying to be chivalrous. And although she thought it was adorable, she wasn't about to let him drive while he was intoxicated.

When they reached the front door of Jessie's house, Sam insisted on carrying her over the threshhold. She thought it was kind of archaic and old fashioned, but after he told her he wanted to start out their new life right, she wasn't able to refuse him.

As he attempted to lift her, she was afraid he was going to drop her, but drunk or not, he lifted her up in his arms like she weighed nothing, placing her down gently on the other side of the threshhold.

"You thought I was going to drop you, didnt you?" he asked as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"The thought never crossed my mind," she replied with a smile.

"You're lucky you're so cute," he teased with a grin.

"Only cute?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"And deadly," he replied, trying his best to keep a straight face.

She raised an eyebrow then smiled. "Are you gonna keep talking, or what?"

He smiled suggestively. "Not if you don't want me to."

"Definitely not," she replied with an equally suggestive smile.

"But I have one last thing to say," he said, placing a finger on her lips, gazing deeply into her eyes. "I love you, Jessie Drake-Winchester."

She smiled lovingly as he removed his finger from her lips. "Prove it."

He smiled, leaned close and kissed her for a moment before pulling away to once again gaze into her eyes. "Let's go upstairs," he said, releasing his grip and taking her by the hand, "and I'll show you."

She smiled as he led her upstairs, trying to remember the exact moment when her luck had begun to change for the better.

**A/N: Well, it happened with very little drama. Of course, there had to be a little, right? It definitely didn't stop Sam from going ahead with the wedding. But then again, when do the Winchesters do what they're told, right? **

**Thanks for reading!**


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Jessie and Sam spent the entire day after the wedding at her house. Most of the time was spent in the bedroom, although they weren't fussy about which room they might choose when the mood struck them. For one day, they imagined they were any normal newlywed couple. They didn't answer their phone, or worry about the world. All they focused on was each other. It was their time out from even spent the evening outside in the backyard, laying on a blanket, feeding each other, making out and watching the sunset in each other's arms. It was a surreal moment, until the mosquitos began to bite. Then they headed inside to cuddle up on the couch with a cheesy movie and fell asleep together.

Jessie was the first one awake the next morning. The first thing she did was make coffee before heading upstairs to have a shower. She had been hoping that Sam would wake up and join her, but she finished her shower alone.

When she came downstairs, she noticed Sam was missing from the couch and there was a lot of noise coming from the kitchen. So she followed the noise, grinning as she saw Sam looking through her cupboards while wearing her apron.

"What're you doing?" she asked with a mix of curiosity and surprise.

"And good morning to you, too," he replied sarcastically, his hands on his hips in a teasing manner.

She raised her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Good morning."

He approached her with his arms outstretched, pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her deeply.

"I was trying to make you breakfast," he said as he pulled away slightly, pushing aside a lock of damp hair.

"That's sweet of you, Sam," she said with a bright smile. "But, why don't you let me take care of it?"

"I'm more than capable of cooking breakfast, Jessie."

"Yeah, but you need a shower," she replied with a wink.

He smiled, kissing her once on the cheek before pulling off the apron and handing it to her. "I guess you'll be needing this."

She took the apron with a smile. "I'll let you make me lunch—if Dean doesn't show up before then."

He sighed. "Do you think it would be too much to ask if we could have another day alone?"

She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I'm sure he'll leave us alone while we're in Vegas."

"Right," he snorted. "As long as he doesn't run out of money."

She chuckled knowingly, then turned her back to him and began to pull out stuff for breakfast. It took a moment for him to get the hint, but he finally left to have a shower.

After breakfast, they cuddled on the couch and watched the morning news together, both hoping for no unusual deaths. Neither one of them felt like hunting at the moment, not when they had planned to go to Las Vegas to continue with their honeymoon. Though, if they were being honest with themselves, they knew the reason they were going was because Dean wanted to go on his annual trip. A honeymoon was just an excuse to get them to agree with him.

It was shortly after noon when Dean finally showed up. Jessie teased him about his dishevelled appearance, calling him a bum. It looked like ha hadn't changed his clothes in days, and that he'd slept in them. But she was pretty sure he'd just been partying a little too hard. She wondered how many stories she would hear about him the next time she headed into town.

After a heated discussion, they all eventually agreed on leaving for Vegas early the next morning. Dean had wanted to leave that day, but not only did Jessie think he needed some sleep, she wanted to do some cleaning before she left home.

Sam helped Jessie clean her house, as well as managing to take some time out together while Dean was napping. And shortly after an early dinner, the couple went to bed.

The sun was barely peeking above the horizon the next morning, when Dean appeared in the couple's bedroom, waking them noisily. He wanted them to feel the same excitement he was feeling, but Jessie definitely didn't feel that way. The last thing she wanted to do was drive all the way to Vegas for no particular reason. She would have been just as happy staying at home with Sam.

After a quick argument, Jessie gave up and let the boys have their way. Dean wanted to take the Impala but not her car, so the three of them could take shifts driving and get to Vegas sooner. She hated the idea, but it was two against one, and since she agreed to be a part of their particular dynamic, she had to relent. But she didn't have to like it. And she didn't.

Jessie sat in the back seat with her laptop open, while Dean was driving and Sam was in the passenger seat. But all she really wanted to do was sleep. So after their first rest stop, she put her laptop away, laid down on the back seat and fell asleep.

Jessie slept until they stopped a second time to grab some lunch. She was so hungry, she not only surprised the boys by how much she ate, but she surprised herself. Neither of the brothers called attention to that fact. Both seemed to be happy to see her eat, which she hadn't been doing very much of lately.

Since she was feeling much more alert, Jessie decided to drive after lunch while Dean rested in the back. It was Sam's suggestion, but she was more than happy to drive while the sun was still up. She wasn't really fond of driving at night when she could help it, especially the Impala. She wasn't comfortable driving it like she was her own car.

They drove several hours before stopping again to have a late dinner. And when they left the diner, Sam drove. He had napped a little while Jessie had been driving, so he felt awake enough to drive most of the night.

It was early in the morning when they finally arrived in Las Vegas. Dean was driving again by this time, while Sam and Jessie were both asleep in the back seat. He was so excited he couldn't help but wake the both of them up.

"You're worse than a child at Disneyland," Jessie said groggily as she sat up and wiped sleep from her eyes.

"I should have warned you," Sam said with a smile.

"How can you not be excited by Vegas?" Dean asked. "It's the best place in the world."

She snorted. "Let me know how you like it when you run outta money?"

"You're such a buzzkill," he replied with a roll of his eyes.

She grinned at Sam, who'd taken her hand in his. "I'll be much more excited when I have a room to sleep in," she replied. "Your car is a lot of things, but comfortable to sleep in isn't one of them."

"Where exactly is that hotel?" he asked.

"Right on the strip, Dean. You can't miss it."

"And how the hell am I gonna afford a room in a hotel on the strip?"

She sighed loudly. "I told you I'd pay for it. Besides, the man who owns the hotel was an acquaintance of my father."

"Oh, you mean your father got him out of trouble?" he asked sarcastically.

"My father was a damn good lawyer, Dean," she snapped. "All the years of hunting helped him tell who was a liar and who wasn't."

"So you're saying the man who owns this casino isn't a crook?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying," she replied with irritation. "And you better not cause any problems."

"What? Do I look like a wild teen left home alone?"

She chuckled. "You really want me to answer that?"

Sam laughed. "A teenager with crow's feet."

"Hey! I've earned these crow's feet!" he replied, feeling insulted.

Sam and Jessie laughed, then laughed harder when he mumbled something under his breath that neither of them could make out.

Everyone was quiet until they arrived at the hotel Jessie had chosen. Dean was unable to contain his excitement almost from the moment they walked into the hotel. He really was like a child in a candy store, so Jessie made his brother keep him out of the way while she made arrangements at the front desk. She had pretended to be annoyed with him, but she really wasn't. She thought it was quite amusing.

"Dean," Jessie called as she walked away from the desk, approaching the brothers. "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as Dean looked at him curiously. He seemed to think for a moment, then walked a short distance away with her.

"First, here's your key," she said, holding a swipe card out for him. She waited until he took it before speaking again. "I set you up with some credit in the casino. You know, just in case you run out of money."

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Are you trying to make sure I leave you and Sam alone?"

She smiled. "That's part of it."

"What's the other part?"

"It's a thank you, Dean. For allowing me in your brother's life."

"Hey! I don't run his life, Jessie. He's a big boy."

She smiled. "I know. But I also know if you had a problem with me, Sam would have a problem with me."

"Okay. No need to get all girlie on me."

She chuckled. "Fine. But thanks anyways."

She turned and was about to walk away when he called her name.

"What?" she asked as she turned around.

"How much is the credit for?"

She looked at him pensively for a moment. "Enough," she replied tersely.

"Why can't you just tell me?"

She shook her head, speaking quietly. "A hundred grand."

"What?!" he said with surprise. "A hundred thousand dollars? Really?"

She shook her head with a smile then walked away, leaving Dean standing where he was, feeling dumbfounded.

"What was that about?" Sam asked as he took her hand and began walking towards the elevators.

"I'll tell you about it later," she replied with a smile as they got into the elevator.

He waited until the elevator door closed before pulling her into a tight embrace and began to kiss her deeply. They continued kissing, even as the elevator stopped a few times and people got on and off.

Sam was surprised when they finally made it into their room, which was much bigger than he could have imagined. It was probably the nicest room he'd ever had the pleasure of visiting, let alone staying in. He quickly wondered what his brother's room must look like.

The couple didn't leave their room the entire day, not even to eat. They ordered room service, although Sam occasionally felt guilty about always spending Jessie's money. But she always played it down, reminding him that they were married now, so everything was half his. It didn't make him feel anymore comfortable about it, but, she was right.

The next day, they met up with Dean for breakfast in the restaurant in the hotel. He wanted to to thank Jessie for the money, as well as brag a little about the money he'd won playing poker. He also invited them to come to a show in the casino later.

While Jessie could think of a million things better to do than watch some show, Sam insisted on going so she let him have his way. She only reminded him that she wasn't going to make a habit of letting him have his way. He only smiled and nodded.

After breakfast, the couple went into the casino and played the slot machines for about an hour before Dean came to get them for the show.

"What kind of show is this?" Jessie asked as she sat down at a table near the front.

"It's a comedy," he replied.

She wasn't sure why, but something in his response made her feel uneasy. She glanced at Sam, who smiled at her, making her smile back.

While they were waiting for the show to begin, Dean began talking about everything he'd done since they'd arrived in Vegas. Jessie was already tired of hearing about it, since that was all he had done during breakfast. But, she feigned interest, since she had nothing else to distract her.

When the lights in the audience went down, Dean became quiet. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned her attention towards the stage to the person who had come out to intoduce the act. She listened, without really listening. She was too concerned about the hand that had just made its way onto her knee and began working its way up her thigh.

"Sam," she called in a chastising voice.

He beamed at her innocently, making her shake her head with a smile.

As the comedian came onto the stage, Jessie froze on the spot, terror filling her with panic, her eyes going wide.

"I gotta go," she said to Sam in a panicked voice.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

She glanced towards the stage for a moment, before returning her gaze on Sam.

"I just can't stay," she replied, attempting to stand up, but he pulled her back to her seat by her hand.

"Jessie, what is it?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. But then, Dean began laughing. She turned in his direction with a scowl. "How the hell did you find out?"

He laughed louder, irritating the people sitting nearest to their table, and the comedian.

She glanced quickly at the stage, cringing inside, before she stood up and made her way out of the room, almost tripping over someone's foot as she did so.

Once she was safely in the lobby, she was finally able to breath and relax. It was only moments later when Sam came into the lobby with a concerned look.

"What's going on, Jess?"

"What if I said...clowns?"

"Where?" he replied quickly, glancing around with unease.

"There aren't any clowns, Sam."

"I don't understand," he said, shaking his head with confusion.

"Dean is so dead," she mumbled under her breath.

He gazed at her pleadingly. "Have you lost your mind?"

She chuckled ironically. "Yeah, kinda."

He stretched out his hand, taking a hold of hers and pulled her close.

She pulled away slightly, looking embarrassed. "This is really stupid, Sam, but, I might as well tell you."

He smiled supportively as she took a couple of deep breaths.

"The comedian had a ventriloquist dummy, Sam."

"And?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm afraid of them. Okay? Now you know."

He gazed at her evenly for a moment before he began to grin, stifling a laugh.

"I'm glad you find this so amusing," she said, feeling insulted.

"I'm sorry, Jessie. I can't help but find it funny."

She narrowed her eyes crossly. "You know what, Sam? Go back in and watch the show with your brother, I need some time to myself."

"Jessie—"

She turned her back to him and stomped away, leaving him standing in the lobby watching her leave.

As soon as Jessie put some distance between herself and the situation, she realized how silly she was for being angry. She knew it was one of those silly irrational fears, but she hadn't expected Sam, of all people, to laugh about it. She'd expected more of him. Either way, she decided to make use of their time away from each other.

As nice as it was having someone to share her life with, she also missed having some alone time, which she rarely had any longer. So she headed into the casino to play some poker. If anything, it would help her relax and focus on something other than her silly fear.

She'd been playing poker for almost two hours before Sam managed to find her. He didn't immediately say anything to her, but she knew he was standing behind her. She'd expected him to say something, but she was glad when he didn't. She wasn't ready to go quite yet. She was winning.

He stayed silent through a few more hands before laying a hand on her shoulder to let her know he was there. She noticed as he did that, that one of the players across the table seemed to become irritated.

"You got a problem?" she asked the man.

He narrowed his eyes pensively. "Yeah, I do. You're a cheater."

She laughed. "I'm sorry that you don't have the first clue on how to play poker, but don't put that on me."

"I see how it is," he replied harshly. "You have a big guy standing behind you so you think you're all that."

She chuckled. "I don't need any man to fight my battles for me."

The dealer stepped in, asking both of them to calm down, but Jessie wasn't going to let it go that easily. When it was her turn to bet, she went all in.

The dealer looked at her with surprise. "You do know how much you have there, right?"

She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "What? I'm a woman so I can't count? Yeah, I know there's over two hundred grand here. Just do your damn job."

The dealer looked taken aback for a second before he began counting the pile of chips letting everyone at the table know the exact amount so they could bet accordingly.

Everyone at the table folded, except for the man who'd been giving her a hard time, he went all in, after hesitating for a few moments.

Jessie grinned wildly at him, taunting him. She normally didn't play like that, but something about the man had rubbed her the wrong way. She knew her hand could beat his and that was all that mattered.

When the man flipped his cards over, she saw he had a king high flush. The man grinned tauntingly, thinking he had her beaten. But that was exactly what she thought he had. The only problem for him was, she had the ace and another of the same suit as well. Her flush beat his.

As her cards were flipped over, the man stood up dramatically, his chair flying backwards onto the floor.

"Cheater! You're a damn cheater!" he yelled irately, as he threw some poker chips across the table. "Damn women playing poker and cheating!"

The dealer was about to call for security when they showed up on their own, taking the struggling man away. Jessie could only smile.

"Are you going to be playing anymore?" Sam asked quietly, leaning close to her.

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "No. But only because I don't want to."

He shifted his gaze, keeping silent.

After dealing with her winnings, she walked through the casino with Sam, not really saying anything, but they stayed close enough to each other that they were in constant physical contact. It wasn't until they made their way into the hotel lobby that either of them said anything.

"I'm really sorry about earlier, Jessie," Sam said, reaching out for her hands, squeezing them tightly. "I know it was insensitive of me to laugh about your fear."

"You do know I'm not angry with you, right?" she asked. "I'm just disappointed. Of all the people, I thought you would have understood."

"I do, Jessie. I don't know why I couldn't help but laugh."

"Well, now you know," she replied tersely. "I don't know how the hell your brother found out, but someone is gonna get hurt."

He pulled her close, placing her hands on his hips while he held them tightly. "As long as it isn't me."

"No," she said with a giddy smile. "Unless you want me to."

He smiled, kissing her lightly on the forehead. "What do you wanna do now?"

"Why don't we go for a walk on the strip?"

"Okay," he replied with a smile.

He released his grip on her hands, but not before he kissed her lips lightly.

She took a hold of his hand as they began walking out of the lobby, stepping outside for the first time in almost two days. The sun was shining brightly and was warm on the skin. She blinked a few times to adjust to the brightness, frustrated she'd forgotten her sunglasses.

"Do you want me to go back up to our room and grab your sunglasses?" Sam asked, noticing her squinting.

"No. I'll be fine," she replied with a smile.

He smiled thoughtfully. "It's not a big deal. You stay here and I'll go get them."

She barely had a moment to smile at him before he was heading back into the hotel to get her sunglassess. She laughed to herself, still finding it odd that she had someone who would want to look after her. It still felt strange to her.

After a minute of waiting, she became bored and began to meander slowly down the sidewalk, making sure not to go too far that Sam wouldn't be able to find her. There were a lot of people around and she wasn't nearly as tall as he was.

She hadn't gotten too far when she was confronted by the man who'd been kicked out of the casino. He seemed to be even more inebriated than he had while they'd been playing poker. He had a sneer on his face as he stumbled close to her.

"There's the cheater," he said, heavily slurring his words. "Do you know what happens to cheaters?"

She chuckled. "Why don't you go get yourself a coffee? You definitely don't want to do this here and now."

"Why not? Your big giant man isn't here to protect you. Is that it?"

"I told you before that I don't need a man to fight my battles," she replied sternly. "And you're in no condition to fight."

"Maybe not, but they are," he replied, pointing to two men who had come to stand behind him.

"Wow! How very manly both of you must be. Two of you to one woman," she taunted.

The men glared at her angrily, but hesitated. She wondered if it was the look in her eye that stopped them, or maybe they were waiting for the man to give them an order. Either way, she was surprised they were acting this way in public, in a busy area, in broad daylight.

"What're you waiting for?" the drunken man said to the men.

The men began to advance on her, so she decided to take the biggest one out first, who was about the size of Dean, only not as bulky. He reached out to grab a hold of her, but she moved to the side, kicking him hard enough in the shin he nearly crumpled on the spot. But as he began falling forward, he tried to grab a hold of her again, but she once again moved aside, backhanding him in the face as she did.

The second man, who was much shorter than him, managed to grab a hold of her shirt sleeve as she moved away from the other man. He scowled as she freed herself with a tug then kicked him in the gut. As he doubled over from the kick, she punched him in the face, knocking him backwards onto the cement.

The first man managed to grab her by the hair as she backed away from the second man. He pulled her hard backwards where she stumbled, almost falling, but she managed to stay up on her feet. He pulled her close enough until he managed to grab her around the waist with one hand, the other still holding on to her hair.

Furiously, she stomped on his foot with hers as hard as she could, which made him drop her hair. Then she used a free arm and elbowed him straight in the jaw, which made an awful cracking sound as she came into contact with it. He released her waist as he stumbled backwards, his hand over his jaw, blood running from his nose.

A large crowd of wide eyed people had gathered by now. None seemed very interested in getting involved in the fight, they were keeping their distance, some with their camera phones pointing in their direction.

"Have you had enough yet?" she asked the men, who seemed to be looking at her with apprehension.

After a few moments, the two men glanced at each other simultaneously and nodded. A few seconds later, they turned tail and ran away, leaving the drunken man there alone.

"Why don't you leave, too?" she said to the drunken man, waving her hand dismissively.

"No. I don't think I will," he replied with a sneer.

She rolled her eyes, mumbling, "Whatever," before turning her back to him.

She hadn't taken more than two steps when she sensed him moving towards her. She turned around just as she heard Sam yell her name in warning. The man was much closer than she realized and he was brandishing a long knife, however, he was holding it clumsily. She stepped back slightly, moving to the side easily as the momentum of his thrust carried him past her. But he was quicker than she realized, as he abruptly turned while slashing the knife towards her, missing her by barely an inch. By this time Sam had managed to make it to her, but she was so furious she didn't want him to interfere. As Sam tried to grab the man, he swung around to slash him, but in one smooth movement, Jessie was able to knock the knife from his hand, grab him by the head and slam him into her raised knee. The man fell backwards onto the pavement moaning in pain, blood spewing from his nose and lip.

"Didn't I say I don't need a man to help me?" she said to Sam with a wink.

He shrugged. "I just like feeling useful."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "That you are."

He brushed hair from out of her face before leaning in to kiss her, but she backed away before he could.

"What the hell is that?" she asked pointing to his arm. "You're bleeding."

He glanced at his arm, completely surprised to see blood as well.

"It's not very deep," he said as he checked his forearm.

"I don't care," she said with a serious look. "You're getting it looked at."

He rolled his eyes slightly but he knew not to argue with her. She wouldn't let it go and he didn't really blame her. He would have insisted if it was her.

"After we deal with the cops," he said as he noticed a few police heading towards them.

"Let me do the talking," she replied with a grin. "Three men against one woman is better told by the—_helpless_—woman."

He chuckled. "Fine."

After dealing with the police, Sam had his arm looked at by paramedics. It turned out it was only a shallow laceration and all it required was some butterfly bandages to make sure it healed with minimal scarring, not that it bothered him. He had more than his fair share of scars. One more wasn't really an issue.

"You were damn good out there," Sam said after they'd returned to their hotel room. "A shame I didn't get to see more of the fight."

She chuckled. "Men are easier to fight than monsters, for the most part. They're much more predictable."

"So you turned your back to him because you were expecting him to knife you, is that it?"

She nodded her head. "I knew he was gonna attack me from behind, I saw it in his eyes. I just had no idea he had a knife," she replied, then shrugged. "It didn't matter. I knew he would try something. I woulda had him with or without your help."

He moved close to her, grabbing a hold of her hips with a grin. "I knew you had him. I just can't let you have all the fun."  
>"Oh? Is that it?" she replied with a grin of her own.<p>

He smiled as he tugged on her hips, pulling her tightly against his body. He leaned close to her and began nuzzling her, breathing in her ear, feeling the excitement as her breathing quickened. He thought it might be crazy, but watching her defend herself against three men excited him for some reason.

As soon as their lips touched, their passion was ignited. Sam carried her to the bedroom, laid her down on the bed and took her clothes off hurriedly, then took his off as well before climbing into bed with her. He made passionate love to her for what seemed like hours before they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

It was early in the evening when the couple finally woke up. Sam had been awake for a short time before Jessie, but he found he rather enjoyed lying in bed with her, nowhere to go, nothing to do. He laid still, his arm around her, contemplating his life. He began to wonder why he still insisted on hunting. It seemed rather pointless during moments like this.

They snuggled for a little while, until Jessie insisted on getting out of bed so they could grab something to eat. She was starving and so was Sam.

She climbed out of bed to grab a shower, when Sam looked at her funny and pointed.

"What's that?"

She glanced down at herself in curiosity. "Where?"

He climbed out of bed, wrapping his arm around and pointed to her stomach.

"Right there," he said with a chuckle. "Looks like you've gained a couple of pounds. Maybe you need to lay off of Dean's diet."

She pulled away from him, gazing at him furiously. "Did you just tell me I've gained weight, Sam? Seriously?"

"Uh—"

"You're unreal!" she yelled as she stormed off into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Jessie jumped into the shower still in disbelief about Sam's comment. While it was true she'd put on a couple of pounds, she couldn't believe he would call attention to it, especially when they were still supposed to be on their honeymoon. It seemed more like a Dean thing to say.

What made it worse was, she had no idea if he had been joking or if he was really bothered by it. This way, she had no idea if she should feel more hurt, or insulted. Either way, she decided whether it was a joke or not, it wasn't a nice thing to say.

She took her time in the bathroom, thoroughly washing her hair, shaving, and scrubbing the callouses on her feet. And when she was done in the shower, she brushed and dried her hair thoroughly, then braided it, which she didn't do often. After she ran out of things to do, she wrapped herself entirely in a fluffy white hotel robe, tied it tight, then left the room in search of some clothes to wear.

She noticed Sam sitting across the room, his back to her when she walked out. He was on the phone, but as soon as he heard her leave the bathroom he ended the call and turned around with an apologetic look.

She rolled her eyes and continued to walk to the dresser she had her clothes in, looking through the top drawer. By the time she found something she'd been looking to wear, Sam was standing behind her silently. She turned around quickly giving him the evil eye.

"Don't give me those sorry puppy dog eyes, Sam," she said harshly. "Those don't work with me."

"Can I explain myself? Please?" he begged.

She narrowed her eyes in thought. "Tell me who you were talking to on the phone first?"

He sighed. "Dean."

She snorted. "Please tell me you weren't asking him for advice, Sam?"

"Uh..."

"Oh, this should be good," she said while crossing her arms.

"Can we just sit down and talk about this like rational adults?"

"So now I'm irrational, is that it?" she snapped

"What's going on with you today?" he asked. "One minute you're fine, the next you're overreacting."

She narrowed her eyes. "I guess you aren't using Dean's advice. I think even he has more sense than this."

"No, he..." the rest he mumbled so quietly she couldn't make it out.

"What did you say?" she asked with irritation.

"Forget it, Jessie. I don't want to argue with you."

"Well I'm not gonna forget about it, so spill," she replied with finality.

He rolled his eyes and sighed, speaking hesitantly. "He said, it must almost be your time of the month."

She rolled her eyes heavily and snorted. "Okay, I guess I was wrong. He doesn't have more sense than you."

"Jessie, please," he pleaded. "I thought it was harmless teasing. I didn't mean to upset you."

She gazed deeply into his eyes and felt her resolve melt. She could see he was truly sorry and she had been making a big deal out of something she knew he was only teasing her about. But something he said had hit home with her and had her thinking. Although it was the last thing she wanted to think about.

She nodded her head lightly, letting her arms fall to her side. "I know, Sam. I'm sorry."

He smiled encouragingly as he moved closer, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Are we okay?"

"Of course we are," she replied with a smile. "I think it's because I'm hungry."

He pulled her into an embrace, burying his face in her hair. "Then let's get you something to eat."

She pulled away with a smile, gazing up into his eyes sweetly. "I know this place not far from here that has awesome take out. You wouldn't mind getting it, would you?"

"You don't want to come with me?" he asked with surprise.

"I've had enough of being out today," she replied. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not," he replied with a smile.

She leaned close to him, kissing his cheek. "Thanks."

She wrote out what she wanted on a piece of paper, then gave him directions to the restaurant. And after a few long, lingering kisses, Sam headed out to get her what she wanted.

She waited a minute to make sure he was gone, then picked up the phone and called the hotel concierge.

"I need something from the pharmacy and I need it in ten minutes or less. Can you do that?"

The concierge told her it would be no problem. So after she hung up the phone, she began pacing the room imaptiently waiting, constantly muttering to herself over and over again like a mantra. "It can't be true."

**A/N: So, have you figured it out yet? How long do you think they can stay happy for? Where will Crowley and Meg come in? What did you think of this chapter? Let me know.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Jessie began pacing the floor in front of the door to her hotel room aimlessly. Every second that passed while she was waiting for the concierge seemed like an eternity. She wasn't always very patient on a good day, and this was not a good day.

It only took eight minutes before the concierge arrived at the door, small bag in hand. She didn't even bother worrying about the cost, handing him a small wad of bills from her pocket to pay for it, as well as a very large tip, before she nearly slammed the door in her haste and ran into the bathroom.

After making sure the bathroom door was locked, she frantically pulled the pregnancy test from the bag, opened the box, dumping the contents on the counter and began reading the instructions. She had to read through it twice, since the first time her mind was so preoccupied that the words didn't even register.

After following the instructions, she began to pace back and forth in the bathroom, waiting the three minutes for the test to be complete. Her mind was racing, making it nearly impossible to stop moving. She was sure she knew what the test would say, but she needed to make sure first, before she could make any decisions.

She had never wanted children, and although she loved Sam more than she ever thought she could love someone, she definitely didn't think it was a good idea to have a child with him. It wasn't just their lifestyle, though that was the biggest factor, she just didn't think either of them were really fit to be parents. It wasn't like either of them had really great role models for parents.

She hesitated for a moment after the timer was up, unable to make herself look, but she didn't hesitate for too long, she knew she didn't have much longer before Sam would be back. She picked up the test, staring at it in disbelief, then double checking the instructions to make sure she'd read it properly.

After the initial shock wore off, she gathered all the garbage up, threw it into the trashcan and took the whole bag out, tying it tightly. She called downstairs to get someone to take the garbage, then took her laptop out and sat on the couch so she could appear busy when Sam finally got back with their food.

Sam showed up about twenty minutes later with a large paper bag full of food. Jessie beamed at him brightly before turning her attention back to her laptop.

"I thought you were starving?" he asked as he set the bag on the coffee table.

"I still am," she replied, gazing up at him. "I, uh, well, look for yourself."

She slid her laptop around, shaking her head. "It's a story about me with video from that fight. It's all over the damn internet already."

"Gotta love the headline," he replied with a grimace.

"Yeah, great," she said with a sigh. "So much for anonymity."

"It'll be fine," he said as he pulled her laptop away from her. "We can worry about that later. Let's eat while the food is still hot."

She smiled at him for being so thoughtful, but inside she was almost disappointed. She'd been happy that she'd found something to distract herself from her other more immediate worry, but it didn't look like it was going to last very long. She was incredibly hungry, but with the knowledge of a secret she wasn't ready to tell Sam about, it made her feel guilty, thus making it difficult to eat without feeling slightly sick.

"Are you feeling sick again?" he asked with concern as he noticed her playing with the food on her plate.

"What? Uh, no," she replied as she glanced at him.

"Is it the news story that's bothering you?"

She averted her eyes, once again playing with the food on her plate.

"Jessie?" he said as he put his arm around her. "Maybe we should leave Vegas before it becomes a problem."

It was exactly what she'd been thinking, but she didn't want to seem too eager.

"Are you sure Dean is ready to leave?"

He grinned. "No, probably not. But this is more important than gambling, drinking or chicks."

"Chicks, huh?"

"His word, not mine," he replied quickly.

She chuckled at his awkwardness. "Sure, Sam. Whatever you say," she teased.

He pulled her close, kissing her lightly. "I'll call him. Unless you want to stay."

She was torn. She wanted to stay a little longer, to enjoy his company, but at the same time she wanted to leave so she could figure out what she was going to do about her secret.

"No. I'm ready to leave if you are."

"I'm not gonna lie, I've enjoyed having you mostly to myself," he said with a sly grin. "But, I'd rather not hang around this town any longer than I have to."

"Then I'll let you deal with Dean while I pack."

"I'm not sure who's getting off easier," he replied jokingly as he stood up.

"Good luck," she replied with a chuckle.

She waited until he'd left before she stood to clean their food mess and to begin packing. It was a small relief that she was going to be leaving Vegas after all that had happened. She was hoping for some space to think about the future, before the decision was out of her control. She only had so long before she wouldn't be able to hide her secret any longer.

Jessie was almost finished packing by the time Sam made it back to their hotel room. He smiled when he saw her, but she could see something else in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked suspiciously.

He reached out, wrapping his arms around her. "You're awfully paranoid."

He was right, she was paranoid, but that didn't mean he wasn't hiding something.

"Don't make me torture it out of you," she said with narrowed eyes.

He smiled uncomfortably. "There's a crowd of people outside the hotel waiting for you."

"What?" she asked with surprise. "Really?"

"I wish I was kidding," he replied with a supportive smile. "At least you didn't use your real fake name when you signed for the room."

She sighed. "I guess I better unpack a wig."

After she put together a disguise for both herself and Sam, they waited until Dean arrived before leaving the hotel. They'd hoped that if they travelled in a group of three they wouldn't seem so conspicuous.

"I told you it would be difficult not to be recognized if I did that stupid show," Jessie said after she climbed into the backseat of the Impala.

"What do you want, an award?" Dean asked sarcastically as he started the car.

She narrowed her eyes at him, although it was too dark for him to see them. "Just shut up and drive."

"Aren't we bossy?" he said sarcastically as he began to drive.

She sighed loudly but didn't respond. She knew he was irritated he had to leave Vegas already and she wasn't much in the mood to argue. Instead, she took out her laptop and began skimming through some of her favorite news sites.

They drove for a couple of hours before making their first rest stop. By then, Dean was too tired to continue driving, since he'd barely slept the entire time he'd spent in Vegas. So Sam took over driving, while Jessie rode shotgun and Dean slept in the backseat.

Sam drove for a couple of hours before he switched spots with Jessie. She had insisted on driving even after Sam assured her he was fine. The truth was she needed something to keep her distracted from her thoughts.

It was midmorning when they made their next stop at a diner in a small city. Although Jessie was a little tired from driving so long, she was much more hungry than she was tired. After buying a local newspaper from the store next to the diner, she sat at the table with the brothers and began to read while she drank coffee. She became so engrossed with one particular article in the paper she had barely touched her food, while Dean had already finished eating his meal and was becoming irritated with her.

"Are you trying to take Sam's title away from him?" he asked her sarcastically.

"Huh?" she asked, scarcely paying attention, while Sam shot him a dirty look.

"Mister research," he replied with a grin. "Although in your case it's miss."

She set the newspaper down shooting him a teasing grin. "That was really lame, Dean. Why don't you get some sleep and try again?"

He rolled his eyes. "Do you think you could eat so we could leave?"

"Oh, is this better?" she asked as she scooped a small forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth and began chewing.

He narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to say something, but Sam interrupted him.

"That's enough, both of you," he said with a sigh.

She snorted. "Maybe you've forgotten what work is, but I haven't, Dean."

"You telling me there's work in this town?"

"Look for yourself," she said as she slid the paper over to him, pointing to the article.

He began reading, while his brother did the same over his shoulder. She turned her attention to her food.

"Sounds a lot like a poltergeist to me," Dean said when he was finished reading.

"Or maybe a real Trickster," Sam suggested.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'd like to check this out," she said, adding, "before I need some sleep."

The brothers nodded in agreement as they watched her take her last few bites of food before pulling out her wallet to pay.

"I got this," Dean said as he pulled a wad of bills from his pocket.

"Ooh, big spender," she replied teasingly.

He rolled his eyes before leaving a large tip for the waitress, even after she'd shot down his earlier advances.

"How about buying the next time we go to a good restaurant?" she asked with a grin.

He chuckled. "You're the rich one."

She rolled her eyes heavily before walking out of the diner and climbing into the driver's seat of the Impala. When Dean walked out, she grinned at him teasingly, rolling down the window.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"Driving. What does it look like?"

"I think you drove her enough. It's my turn," he replied, opening the door.

She sighed loudly as she climbed out of the car. "You made me leave my ride at home. The least you could do is let me drive yours."

"I don't have to do that," he replied. "Besides, I'm doing you a favor."

She snorted. "A favor? How's that?"

"Now you can sit in the backseat with Sam and do whatever—as long as your clothes stay on."

She glanced over at Sam who was wearing a giddy smile.

"Men!" she said with a sigh before getting into the backseat.

During the twenty minute ride to the fraternity house, where the mysterious deaths took place, Jessie sat in the car next to Sam and held his hand. She still felt uncomfortable with any display of affection around Dean, married or not. And with the knowledge of her secret making her feel guilty, it was difficult to even look him straight in the eyes. Although she'd always been a good liar, which made hunting that much easier, lying to someone she cared about was much more difficult than she would have imagined. She'd kept things from Bobby in the past, but this was different.

When they arrived at the fraternity, Jessie decided to stay behind and research more on the case, while the brothers went inside to ask questions. She wasn't in the mood to feel like a third wheel. Besides, she figured she might be a distraction for the overly hormonal young men.

After the brothers were finished inside, they drove to the nearest motel and began to share the information they had learned while at the fraternity.

"There's been three deaths this month, all by pranks," Dean said to Jessie, who was sitting at the table with her open laptop.

"When did the first one die? And how did he die?" she asked.

"The start of the month. Apparently he was killed by a bucket over the door," he replied, adding, "the bucket was full of bricks."

She raised an eyebrow in shock. "Doesn't sound much like a prank to me."

"That's why we're thinking it might be a poltergeist," Sam replied.

She pursed her lips in thought. "I don't know. Did you ask them if there's been any weird stuff going on?"

"It was difficult to get a straight answer out of most of them."

"Why?"

Dean laughed. "You went to college. Are you telling me you have no idea what happens in a fraternity?"

"Besides, drinking, drugs and sex? No, I have no idea," she replied sarcastically.

"That's why we couldn't get a straight answer out of them."

She snorted. "Shouldn't send a man to do a woman's job."

"You think you could do better?" he challenged.

She glared at him before opening her mouth to speak, but Sam stepped in first.

"That's enough, both of you," he said.

Dean shot his brother a dirty look but said nothing. Jessie, on the other hand, did.

"I just can't see this being a case of a poltergeist. It seems wrong somehow."

"What else could it be?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "But I think I'm gonna dig a little further."

Jessie continued to research the history of the fraternity house, while Sam helped her and Dean went out for a short time. They only researched for a couple of hours before they both decided to sleep, since they'd both been awake since the night before.

It was a couple of hours later when Dean showed up in the motel room, yelling for them to wake up.

"Look at the old married couple sleeping early," he teased.

"What is it?" Jessie asked, throwing her pillow at him.

He laughed lightly at the throw as it fell short, then glanced at her and his brother more seriously.

"There's been another death at the fraternity house. The cops are there now."

"What happened?" his brother asked as he climbed out of bed.

"I don't know. I was at a bar when the news came over the radio."

"Just give us a few to get dressed, Dean," she said with a knowing look.

He rolled his eyes, leaving quickly.

Once they were dressed, the couple joined Dean in the Impala and they drove to the crime scene. After looking around and asking questions, they didn't seem to have any more answers than they already had, in fact, there were only more questions.

"The detective I spoke to said no one will be allowed into the frat house for at least a few days," Jessie said after they'd arrived back at their motel room.

"Good. Then we should check it out tomorrow night when it's empty," Dean replied.

"Fine with me," she replied. "And I don't know about you, but I'm going back to bed."

"Me too," Sam said with a grin.

Dean made a funny face in response.

"I get the hint," he said as he left for his own motel room.

Sam smiled seductively as he approached Jessie, who smiled in return. He pulled her close, kissing her slowly.

"I hate to be a party pooper, Sam, but I'm kinda tired," she said as she pulled away slightly.

"How could you be tired of all this already?" he teased sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes heavily. "I thought you're usually the funny one?"

"Must be your fault," he replied with a grin. "You're too much of a distraction."

She blushed slightly. "And you're too cute, sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" he asked in mock surprise.

"Yes," she replied with a fixed gaze.

"I have no chance tonight, do I?"

"I never said that," she replied with a grin.

It was midmorning when Jessie woke up, carefully removing herself from Sam's sleeping embrace so she could use the bathroom. She had to pee so badly it hurt. And when she remembered why that would be, she began to feel guilty again. She had spent the night so preoccupied she'd actually forgotten all about being pregnant. Now it was back at the front of her mind. All she wanted to do was forget about it.  
>She thought about waking Sam when she was done in the bathroom, but she felt she needed a little alone time. So instead, she decided to go for a walk and grab some coffee while she was at it.<p>

She stayed at the coffee shop for a short time, reading the morning newspaper that had been left on one of the tables while drinking her first cup of coffee. When she was finished, she ordered another for herself, as well as one for Sam and Dean before she headed back to the motel room, newspaper in hand.

"Great! Coffee!" Dean said as she walked into the room, grabbing one from her hand.

She handed Sam his coffee with a smile. "You weren't worried about me, were you?"

"No," he replied after he'd taken a drink of his coffee. "I figured you'd gone for coffee."

"Well, there's an interesting article in today's newspaper about the history of the fraternity house," she said as she threw the paper down on the table, sitting down. "This isn't the first time there's been a series of prank related mishaps in that house."

The brothers sat down at the table, hunching over the article she was pointing to.

"Every year around the same time there are numerous prank related injuries. No surprise, since it coincides with pledge week," she said, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. "But rarely has it ever ended in death, or at least more than one during any year."

"So it has happened before?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, but nothing like this," she replied. "There's only been a handful of deaths since the fraternity has been around. And a couple of them were accidents, or they appeared to be anyway."

"Sounds like our poltergeist theory is out the window."

"Not necessarily, Sam," Dean said. "What if it was only accidents before, but now it is a poltergeist, somehow drawn to the pranks and accidents."

"I dunno, Dean. Sounds like we're reaching," he replied.

"I'm not too keen on that theory either," she said. "But I can't really do anymore research here. I'm gonna head to the library."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Sam asked.

"No. I think you and Dean should visit the frat boys again and see if you can get any clearer answers," she paused for a moment to drink her coffee. "And maybe ask around the neighbourhood. Someone might know something about the history of that place."

"Okay," he replied, sounding slightly disappointed. "When do you want to meet back up?"

"We're going into the house tonight, right?" she waited to see his nod before going on. "If either of us find something we'll call and discuss it then. If not, then we go in tonight and hope for the best."

"I'm definitely all for that," Dean said with a giddy grin. "Been awhile since I kicked some ass."

She smiled in amusement. "You only really need three things to make you happy, don't you, Dean?"

"Pretty much," he replied with a wink. "And since I have the other two taken care of right now, it's time for some action."

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "Well don't have too much fun without me."

"I don't make promises I can't keep."

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you?" Sam asked her quietly as he slipped his arm around her.

She smiled happily, nodding her head. "You should spend some time with your brother, Sam."

He looked at her pensively for a moment. "You're right."

"I am?" she said with a teasing smile. "Say it again."

He smiled, pulling her into an embrace. "We'll drop you off at the library first," he said, then kissed her deeply.

The couple only kissed for a few moments before Dean began making impatient noises, cutting their goodbye short. They simultaneously shot him a dirty look, before they swept from the room, climbing into the Impala.

It only took a few minutes for them to reach the library in the heart of the downtown. Jessie climbed out of the car quickly saying her goodbye to the boys as she was shutting the door, then dragged her laptop and small dufflebag up the cement steps that lead into the old library.

After asking for directions to the section she needed, she chose a nearby table, laying out her laptop on the table and her duffle on the chair next to hers, before strolling down a couple of the aisles, choosing a few books and an old box of records before sitting down at the table to begin her research.

She skimmed through a ton of materials before she found anything whatsoever to do with the frat house. Most of it was about the history of the fraternity itself and didn't really add any new information. So after several hours she still didn't know anything new.

Eventually, she began wading through years and years of newspaper articles, going as far back as the year the fraternity house was built. It was slow going since there was so much to look through. The house had been built almost a hundred years before so there was a lot of information, on top of the frequent visits to the bathroom that constantly interrupted her research.

By the time she found any helpful information, it was almost time for the library to close. She made a quick call to Sam to let him know she'd meet him at the house as soon as the library closed, then went back to her research. But when the librarian swept over to tell her it was time to go, she wasn't quite ready to go. All she could do was pay the man to stay just a little longer, until she had what information she needed. She only stayed an extra fifteen minutes before she finally found what she needed. She thanked the librarian again, scooped up her laptop, duffle and her notes and went outside. It was already dark.

Once outside, she tried to call both Sam and Dean, but for some reason she couldn't get either of the calls to connect. After she paused to think—and calm down—she tried their spare phones, which were off, so she assumed they were sitting in the Impala where they usually were. It wasn't going to do her any good.

She hurried down the street looking for a car that would be easy to steal. She didn't like to, but she had little choice. She needed to get to that frat house as soon as she could, and calling a taxi cab wasn't an option.

It only took a few minutes to find a suitable car. The keys had even been left in it, so she didn't feel quite so guilty about taking it. She drove quickly, but not so quickly that she would be stand out or be noticed. She ditched the car around the corner in a dark area, making sure she hadn't dropped anything in the car that belonged to herself, before she ran towards the frat house, dumping her laptop and duffle inside the Impala as she ran past it and pulled out her gun from the pocket of her jacket.

When she made it to the front door, she realized it wasn't going to open for her, so she went around to the side where there was a large picture window, hesitating for a moment to decide if she should wrap her hand in her jacket before smashing the glass. But after a few moments, she decided just to use her gun to shatter the window. Stray shards sliced small cuts on her arm as it shattered, but she barely noticed in her haste and panic to get inside.

She threw her jacket over the ledge to protect herself as she climbed through window, immediately reaching for her mini flashlight, which she kept in a pocket in her jeans. She scanned the room once quickly with it before she began to call out for Sam and Dean, trying not to yell too loudly. She didn't get a response, but she heard a loud bang come from upstairs, so she headed there to search for them.

As she made it to the top of the stairs, she had to duck quickly to avoid being hit by a book that was flying towards her head. She heard the laugh of a young man as it hit the wall behind her and it slid down the stairs.

"Jessie!" Sam called with relief from the end of the hallway.

She was about to ask where Dean was, when he popped his head out from a doorway only feet from his brother.

"How'd you get in?" he asked as he took a wild shot at the ghost who appeared for only a moment.

"The window downstairs," she replied hastily. "But no time to explain."

"How are we—"

"Just cover me, will ya?" she interrupted.

The brothers both nodded as she began running down the hallway, throwing open doors, while they shot at the ghost as it appeared.

"Wouldn't it be easier if we knew what you were looking for?" Dean asked as she was searching a fourth room.

She stopped for a moment to shoot him a hard look. "No."

He opened his mouth to say something, when he was hit in the back by a beer bottle.

"You okay, Dean?" his brother asked, while avoiding being hit himself.

"Yeah," he replied as he shook his head.

The boys followed Jessie as she ran from the room and headed towards another, only this time the three of them stopped before they could reach the door, each of them scattering in separate directions as they were bombarded by a plethora of items, ranging from beer bottles to books to clothing and anything else that could be found inside a frat house.

After Jessie picked herself up from the floor, rubbing her arm where she'd banged it when she fell, she dashed through the door the ghost obviously didn't want them to go through. Almost immediately she saw what she had been looking for, an overly large trophy that was standing on a table near the window. She paused for a moment to let the boys catch up before she ran towards the trophy. But as she reached out to grab it, the window beside the table exploded, showering her with shards of glass. She'd barely had a chance to cover her face as it rained down upon her.

"Jessie!" Sam called.

"I'm fine, Sam," she answered, brushing glass from her clothing.

"What—" he began to ask, but the ghost began flinging stuff at him, interrupting his question.

While the ghost was distracted for the moment, Jessie took the opportunity to grab the trophy from the table. She fumbled with a latch that was on the bottom of it, but gave up quickly, bashing it once hard on the floor, which opened it with ease.

"Catch!" she yelled at Dean, who was standing much closer to her.

He turned to face her, his hands outstretched while she picked up an old finger bone that had fallen out of the trophy and threw it at him. He caught it easily, looking at her with surprise for a moment.

"Dammit, Dean! Burn it!"

He set his gun down, pulling a bottle of lighter fluid from the front pocket of his jacket, dousing the bone in it, before throwing it down on the floor and lighting it on fire with a book of matches that were also in his pocket. It wasn't long before the bone was completely engulfed and the ghost disappeared in a fiery flash.

"How did you know where that was?" he asked her.

She shook her head with a grin. "It's called research, Dean."

"I'd definitely like to know more," Sam said as he walked over to her, putting his arm around her.

She smiled warmly, putting her arm around him as well. "Can we get the hell outta here first?"

"Definitely."

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, between working on my other fics, I had computer problems again. Ok, so now you have your answer, but of course everything was sidetracked by a case. Isn't that always the way?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Everyone was mostly silent as Dean drove from the fraternity house to the motel they were staying at. Sam was more worried about the cuts on Jessie's arms than he was about himself, although he was the one with the big goose egg on his head. She did her best to have a look at it while they were in the backseat, but he wasn't interested in cooperating with her.

"Sit down, right now!" Jessie said to Sam as she nearly shoved him onto a chair as they walked into the motel room.

"I'm fine, Jess," he replied in irritation. "You don't need to make a fuss over me."

"And when did you ever let me get away with that excuse?" she replied, putting her hands on her hips.

He rolled his eyes but relented. He knew when to argue with her and when not to. This was one of those times he wasn't going to win, so he decided not to waste his breath.

While she was checking on Sam's injuries, she decided to explain about the case.

"So, almost twenty years go, there was a young man named, David Moss. He was, in their own words, the greatest prankster ever," she rolled her eyes heavily before continuing. "One day, he challenged the frat house to outdo him, and whoever beat him would not only get the title, but they would never have to buy another beer while they lived there."  
>"And someone beat him and he became angry, right?" Dean asked.<p>

She shook her head with a grin. "No, Dean. The frat brothers became so obsessed with outdoing him, one of the pranks turned deadly and the prank master himself ended up dead."

"So his spirit wanted revenge on the pranksters. That doesn't explain the bone and how you knew where it was."

She sighed loudly. "This would go much quicker if you'd quit interrupting me."

"Yeah, I suppose it would," he replied with a boyish grin.

She rolled her eyes, not bothering to respond to his childish antics.

"Well, he was buried in a small cemetery not far from here. And every year, for the last ten years, pranksters have dug up his grave just to steal a bone. They usually returned the bone after their prank week was finished, only the past few years they haven't been returning it quickly enough."

"Is that when the deaths happened?" Sam asked.

"Yes," she replied with a smile. "However, this year before prank week, the family decided to cremate his body because they were tired of people digging up his grave."

"Then how did there happen to be a bone just lying around?" Dean asked.

"It wasn't exactly, _lying_ around, now was it?"

He rolled his eyes, eliciting a chuckle from her.

"Actually, the trophy was just a wild guess. I had to assume that someone had taken a bone from the grave before the family had the body cremated, since it was the only logical explanation."

"Naturally," Dean said with sarcasm.

She shot him a dirty look before she went on. "I read an old account that said the boys kept their most prized possession inside the trophy, who once belonged to Moss. So, I put two and two together and figured that was where they were keeping the bone."

The brothers both looked at her in shock.

"So you had no idea for sure?" Dean asked.

"No. Just a logical guess."

"Are you kidding me?" he replied as he threw his hands in the air. "You could have gotten yourself killed for a logical guess."

"So what would you have had me do, Dean? Let the two of you get killed instead?" she asked with frustration. "A long shot was better than no shot."

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," he replied with a shake of his head.

She narrowed her eyes knowingly. "You're treating me like I can't handle this job again. I thought we were past that."

"We were, but..."

"But, what, Dean?" she asked in a dangerous tone.

He glanced quickly at his brother who only shrugged in response.

"Fine," he replied with resignation. "You haven't been yourself for awhile. I was just—worried."

She glared at him angrily for a moment, before her look softened. She knew he cared about her and she could tell by his eyes that he was being genuine. But at the same time, she felt he was only thinking that way because she was female. She looked at Sam to see if she could tell what he was thinking, but she regretting doing exactly that. She could see he felt guilty about something, which meant he'd probably been speaking to his brother about her.

She sighed and shook her head. "Whatever. I'm going to sleep. I think I've earned it."

The brothers watched silently as she kicked her shoes off, set her gun on the night stand then crawled underneath the covers and closed her eyes. Both of them knew she was upset, but they were also surprised she didn't put up a fight.

"I'll see ya in the morning," Dean said after a few awkward moments of silence, before leaving the motel room in a hurry.

Jessie said very little to anyone the next morning. She wasn't angry, but she was slightly irritated. She knew she'd been acting strangely, but she didn't think that should have anything to do with her ability to work a case. She had been tired, and sick, but her mind was just as sharp as ever. And although she was still feeling guilty about her secret, it hadn't taken over her every waking moment—yet. She didn't think she seemed that distracted.

As they were preparing to leave, Sam pulled her aside while Dean was busy loading up the car.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked as he put his arm around her waist.

She looked into his eyes, smiling slightly. "No, of course not, Sam."

"Are you mad at Dean?"

"No, Sam. I'm not. Maybe a little irritated and frustrated, but not mad."

"And I suppose I can't change your mind about going home?"

She smiled, but she felt a twinge of guilt run through her. "I'm not staying there, Sam. I'll be heading over to Bobby's a few hours later. I just need to have a few hours to myself."

He scrutinized her for a few moments before he kissed her lightly on the cheek. "As long as you promise not to stay away for too long."

Guilt ran through her once again, but she did her best to ignore it. "How could I stay away from you for too long?"

He smiled brightly, although he wasn't quite sure if she was teasing him or not.

She chuckled then pinched his behind. "You're so cute, Sam."

"Now I know you're teasing me," he replied with a grin.

"No, she isn't," Dean said as he walked in. "You _are_ very cute, Sammy."

He rolled his eyes while she laughed.

"Can we just go now?" he asked with irritation, shooting his brother a dirty look.

Dean laughed as he left the motel room, followed by Jessie, who was also laughing, and Sam, who was not so amused.

It was only a couple of hours before the Impala pulled up to Jessie's house. She grabbed her belongings before she gave Sam a very long and sensual goodbye kiss, regardless of Dean's impatience and his mock gagging. She promised she would head over to Bobby's as soon as she could then watched the car drive out of sight before she headed into her house.

She dropped her laptop and dufflebag on the couch before flopping herself on it as well, placing her face in her hands. She tried her best not to cry, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't manage to stiffle a sob. She felt lost, unsure of herself and she had no one to talk to. She felt like she did nine years earlier. The only difference was, she had people to talk to this time, but she just didn't think she could talk to them about this. At least not right now.

After a few minutes of feeling sorry for herself, she went into her computer room and began to google some phone numbers for abortion clinics. But the moment she called one of them and they answered, she knew she couldn't go through with that, no matter how much she didn't want a child. She still had no idea what she was going to do, but she knew that wasn't going to be an option. She'd killed a lot of creatures, but there was no way she could do it to a baby, especially her own.

For the next hour, she flip-flopped on deciding anything about the baby. But it wasn't long before she finally chose to do something. It was a small step, but, at least it was something. She called the only doctor nearby who would not only make an appointment for her after hours and last minute, but one she knew would keep his mouth shut.

She grabbed a quick shower before she headed on her way to Sioux Falls. She made sure she took side roads just in case either Bobby or the Winchesters were driving around town, making it to the doctor's office shortly before his office closed. She sat in her car until just minutes before it closed, then walked into the building, down the long hallway until she reached the door at the end. The name on the door said, Dr. Riley.

"Good evening, Jessie," Dr. Riley greeted her as she walked into the office.

She glanced around quickly, making sure the room was completely empty. "Thank you for making time for me tonight."

"Of course. It's never a problem for you," he replied.

"Well, thanks all the same," she replied nervously.

He nodded his head before directing her into the exam room, asking her to hop up on the table.

"I hear congratulations are in order," he said as he sat down on his chair. "Bobby told me you got yourself hitched."

She smiled awkwardly. "Yeah, thanks."

He looked at her strangely for a moment. "So what is it you need from me tonight?"

She shifted around on the table for a moment, folding her hands together.

"Well, I, uh," she began to stammer nervously. She took one quick deep breath to ready herself, then she decided just to come out and say it. "I'm pregnant and I need to know how far along I am."

He narrowed his eyes scrutinizingly, silent for a few moments. "Is it because you have no idea how far along you are, or are you worried there might be two possible fathers?"

She looked at him in shock for a moment, feeling slightly insulted. But as she thought about it, she realized it was a legitimate concern, even if she very much doubted it could be Dean's child, there was still a very tiny chance. She hadn't even thought about the possibility until he mentioned it.

"Both," she replied succinctly.

He was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking. "Okay. Lay back on the table and pull your pants down just below your stomach."

She did what she was asked while watching him with curiosity. He washed his hands, put on gloves before he picked up a small device in one hand and a small plastic bottle in the other.

"I'm going to use this to listen to the baby's heartbeat," he said as he showed her the device. It looked like a small speaker with a microphone attached to it. "But first," he continued, as he placed them on the table beside her. "I need to feel your stomach."

She shrugged, lying back comfortably and watched him carefully as he gently prodded at her stomach with his fingers. When he was done, he picked up the bottle he'd set down and gazed at her with a grin. "This is going to be cold," he warned as he squeezed a small amount of clear gel onto her stomach, making her wince.

"You weren't kidding, doc," she said with a hint of a smile.

He smiled slightly. "Now, let's see if we can hear your baby's heartbeat."

She smiled awkwardly as he began to roll the microphone across her stomach in search of a heartbeat. It was only moments before they could hear an unusual rhythmic sound coming from the speaker. He was silent as he listened to it for almost a minute.

"Sounds good and healthy," he said with a smile as he turned the machine off.

She watched in interest as he set the machine down before wiping the gel off of her stomach with a towel. As he was cleaning everything up, her thoughts began to wander and she found herself thinking about the baby. It was easier to think about not keeping the baby before she'd heard it's heartbeat. But now, she began wondering how beautiful Sam's baby could be, even though she knew she shouldn't. She couldn't think of any possible way she could raise a baby. Not with the sort of life she led.

When he finished tidying up, he asked her to follow him down the hall and into another room. This room had another examination table, only there was a large machine sitting next to it and one swivel chair. He directed her to climb up on the table and pull her pants below her stomach once again while he sat on the swivel chair and began adjusting things with the machine.

"Did you drink enough water?" he asked.

She narrowed her eyes sarcastically. "That might be why I feel like my bladder is about to burst."

He chuckled lightly. "I promise this won't take too long."

"I hope not," she mumbled.

He warned her before he squeezed some cold gel on her stomach once again, then began dragging an instrument across her stomach until he had it where he wanted it. It was larger than the one he'd used to hear the baby's heartbeat, but it was similar. He would stop every so often and click something on the machine, or type something on the keyboard, then move the instrument again slightly. It was a few minutes before he spoke to her again.

"Are you ready to see your baby?"

She desperately wanted to say no, since she didn't want to become attached to this child. But she didn't think she could explain it to the doctor, so she reluctantly agreed.

He turned the monitor around so she could view the screen clearly, moving the device around on her stomach slightly to get a better look. When it came into view, he explained everything that could be scene, the head, the back and stomach and the arms and legs. It didn't look that way to her, but she took his word for it. All she really wanted to know was how far along she was.

He passed her an ultrasound photo of her baby, which she barely looked at, instead, quickly folding it and tucking it into the pocket of her pants. After she had cleaned the gel off of her stomach and pulled her pants back up, she watched the doctor until she had his attention.

"So, can you tell how far along I am?"

"Well, I can't be sure until I do some additional measurements, but I would say you're no farther than three months, perhaps a little less."

She thought about the time for a moment, then sighed in relief. "Are you sure?"

He smiled lightly. "No, I'm not sure. But I'm positive you're no farther than three months. I imagine that's good news?"

"Yes," she replied thankfully. "There was a tiny chance it wasn't my husband's baby."

"Then he should be happy about that," he said.

She averted her gaze for a moment before looking at him seriously. "He doesn't know about this, and either does Bobby. I trust that you won't even tell him I was here."

"Of course, Jessie," he replied with concern. "But I do hope you're not planning to go through this alone."

She shook her head. "No, that's not it. I just—I just don't know what to think about this right now."

He placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "If you need any help you just have to ask."

"Thank you, Dr. Riley," she said with a weak smile. "I'm sure I'll figure something out. I always do."

"Just a moment," he said, grabbing a pen and piece of paper from the desk beside him. He scribbled something on the paper, folded it and handed it to her. "Here are the names of some books you might want to read."

She stuffed the paper in her pocket quickly, smiling at him in thanks. "I appreciate your help."

He nodded his head. "Just promise me something."

She pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "That depends on what it is."

He shook his head. "No matter what you decide, make sure you come and see me at least once a month for a check up."

"Okay," she reluctantly agreed. "As long as you swear no one will know I've been here."

"If that's what you want."

"It's what I want," she replied, before thanking him once again and leaving hastily.

Once she was outside she began to feel a moment of panic building inside her. She'd been able to keep herself calm while she was in the doctor's presence. But now that she was alone, her thoughts began to run rampant. She barely even noticed that she'd made it to her car, until she tried to open the door, which was locked. Digging for the key in her pocket snapped her out of her momentary haze.

She had a difficult time unlocking her door because her hand was shaking so much it caused her to drop her keys, not once, but twice. Once she had her door unlocked, she didn't open it. She could only stare at her car, unsure what she should do next. She stood there for a minute or two thinking, before she felt like someone was standing behind her, causing her to turn around quickly.

"Hello again, my dear."

"Crowley!" she shrieked as she reached into her jacket pocket for her gun.

"Don't bother with the gun. I'm only here to talk."

"Go to hell, Crowley! I don't have anything to discuss with you!"

He was silent for a moment, studying her. "You seem agitated."

She snorted. "Demons usually agitate me."

"Come now, you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

She glared at him angrily. "I'm not really in the mood for your banter right now."

"No, I don't suppose you are. Nonetheless I am here," he replied with a grin.

"And I'm leaving," she replied, turning around to open her car door.

"I thought you'd want to know why I came to see you," he said, watching her in amusement as she turned around to face him. "You don't think I make special visits just for fun, do you?"

"I could really care less why you insist on _visiting_ me, Crowley. I'd prefer it if you'd just leave me alone."

"I told you before that I want to help you."

"I don't need your help."

"Yes, actually you do. Meg will catch up with you sooner or later. I wouldn't want to be you when she does."

She shook her head. "You still haven't told me what she wants. Or what you want for that matter."

"You mean you haven't figured that out yet?" he said with a look of amusement. "I thought you would have by now—especially today."

"What the hell does that mean?" she snapped.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Come now, Jessie. You aren't really that dense, are you?"

She had an idea what he was alluding to, but she couldn't be sure. She definitely didn't want to give anything away.

"I suppose I am."

He shot her a furtive glance. "No. You're much smarter than everyone gives you credit for. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Her eyes shifted uncomfortably. "She wanted Sam and I together, that's all I know. I have no idea why."

"You mean you have no idea? No idea at all?" he laughed derisively. "I have a hard time believing that."

She shook her head in refusal, although she had a feeling she knew what he meant. She really had no idea why a demon would be interested in her child, unless they were out to hurt Sam. But why would they go through so much trouble to make sure it happened? There was something she was missing, something she should know. She just wanted Crowley to tell her already because she had no idea and she was already tired of speaking to him.

"If you're not gonna tell me then piss off, Crowley," she replied angrily.

He grinned in amusement at her frustration. "No. I think I'll let you try and figure it out on your own—for a little while."

She narrowed her eyes dangerously, trying another approach. "Maybe I'll just ask Meg. I'm sure she would tell me."

"Are you truly that stupid?"

"Yes. Actually I am," she replied with the slightest of grins.

He laughed in disbelief. "If you really want to then go ahead. You'll regret it. I assure you."

"What about you? You say you want to help me, obviously because you don't want Meg to win, but here you are jerking me around. Why is that?"

He narrowed his eyes shrewdly before chuckling. "You're much smarter than those Winchesters."

"Crowley!"

"Fine, fine," he replied with irritation. "I'll give you a hint."

"Just a hint?"

He ignored her interruption. "I know why you came here to see a doctor today," he replied, glancing quickly at her stomach so she had no doubts what he meant. "That's what she wants."

"Why would she care?"

"That's the part _you_ need to figure out," he said, raising his hand to silence her before she interrupted again. "I will give you a clue because I want you to figure this out on your own, but first, you need to make me a promise."

"What?! A promise?! Are you being serious?!" she shouted. "I don't make promises with demons, Crowley."

"Well you need to get over that," he replied with a raised voice.

She shook her head in disbelief at herself. She couldn't believe she was still speaking with him, let alone listening to him. She knew she was going to regret what she was about to do, but her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

"Fine," she said, crossing her arms in front of her. "You tell me what it is first and then I'll see if I can make a promise."

He grinned for a moment in triumph. "You can't tell anyone about your little—secret."

She stared at him pensively for a moment before answering. "I can live with that."

"Good," he replied. "Now I want you to think long and hard about what I'm going to tell you. I'm not repeating myself. I expect you to figure it out before I visit you next."

"Just get on with it," she said impatiently.

He fixed his impassive gaze on her. "Sam has something that other men don't have. Now put two and two together and do try and get four."

She glanced at him with confusion for a moment, but the moment she blinked he was gone. She stared at the now empty spot for a moment before she climbed into her car, although she had no idea what she was going to do. All she could do was run the last words Crowley had spoken through her mind, over and over again. They made no sense to her at the moment, but she knew they should. Maybe she didn't want to know, maybe that's why she seemed unable to think straight. Like the moment someone gives you bad news and you automatically think they must be joking because you don't want to feel like the world is falling apart around you. That was how she felt right now. If she figured it out, her world would begin to fall down around her.

Her mind was in a fog as she started her car and began driving. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she couldn't go to Bobby's, not yet. She needed to think. But first, she needed to find a bathroom. In her haste to leave the doctor's office, she'd forgotten to pee and she needed to so badly it hurt.

She pulled her car into the nearest coffee shop, using the bathroom before she grabbed herself a coffee. She decided to sit at a table in the corner to relax and think, figuring it would be much easier to do while in public. She knew if she was alone, the tears would begin again and she'd already shed enough tears for one day.

It wasn't long before she realized what Crowley had been trying to tell her. The only difference between Sam and other people was that he had demon blood in his veins. It wasn't something she really thought about, and she was unsure what it could mean to a child. The one thing she was sure of was it couldn't be anything good or the demons wouldn't be bothering with her. She thought for a quick moment that maybe she'd made a mistake being with Sam, but she pushed those thoughts out of her head. She wasn't going to let Crowley, or any demon for that matter, put doubts in her mind. She loved Sam and that was all there was to it.

As she was about to stand up to leave, she noticed Dean walk through the front door. She wondered for a moment if she should pretend she didn't see him, but she quickly realized he would have seen her car so there was no way to hide. Instead, she stood up immediately and called out to him.

"Fancy meeting you here," he said with a smile as he approached the table.

"Yeah," she replied with an insincere smile.

"I just came into town to grab some beer and I saw your car."

"So you thought you'd come track me down?" she asked with a little irritation.

"Whoa, don't get defensive, Jessie," he said quietly. "I just came to check on you, that's all."

"Came to check on me?" she asked in disbelief. "Since when do I need to be checked on?"

"Are you still pissed about last night?"

She paused to think for a moment. Was she really angry with him about last night? Or was she just upset about her entire day and was taking it out on him? She wasn't sure, so she decided to drop the attitude, since none of it was his fault.

"No. No, I'm not, Dean," she replied with a sigh. "I just feel like I don't have any freedom anymore."

He was quiet for a moment before smirking at her. "Isn't that what marriage is about?"

She rolled her eyes heavily. "Right."

"Are you heading to Bobby's now?"

She had wanted a little more alone time, but she knew that was no longer an option.

"Yeah."

"Do you need anything at the store?"

"No, but thank you," she replied with a smile.

He nodded his head and left quickly.

Jessie followed behind him a few moments later, getting into her car and driving away before he did. She figured he really was keeping an eye on her and it wasn't just her paranoia, but she wasn't going to worry about it for the moment. She had more important things to think about.

The ride to Bobby's was uneventful. So much so, she barely remembered driving with everything that was running through her mind. As desperately as she wanted to forget about Crowley and the baby, she knew neither were just going to go away, something had to be done. Her only immediate worry was keeping everything a secret from both Bobby and the Winchesters. They had learned to read her a little too well and she wasn't sure what to do about it. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and make it all go away. But she was a realist and that wasn't going to happen.

When she finally made it to Bobby's, Sam was waiting for her outside. She felt a little irritated about that, but the moment he wrapped his strong, loving arms around her, that feeling disappeared. Now she only felt safe, secure and loved. It made her forget about every bad thought running through her head at that moment.

He kissed her lightly at first just to welcome her, but she felt the need to have more, which he felt as well, kissing her deeper and more passionately, their arms grasping each other tightly. They stopped only a minute later when Sam had pushed her up against the screen door to the house, snapping both of them out of the moment.

"I missed you, too, Sam," she said with a giggle and a smile.

He smiled brightly, holding her around the waist. "Is it that easy to tell?"

"Definitely."

He smiled warmly. "So how was your day?"

She knew he would ask, but she wished he hadn't. It was difficult to maintain the same smile and enthusiasm while she was keeping something from him. Something she knew was wrong to hide, but she was hiding nonetheless.

"It was okay," she lied. "How about yours?"

"Same. I spent most of the time researching something with Bobby."

She didn't know what to say next because anything she was thinking of was mostly a lie. She almost wished she hadn't made that promise to Crowley, she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to keep it. Not that there would be any consequences if she did break the promise, it wasn't like she'd sold her soul or anything. But she did wonder what he would do if she did tell someone. Either way, telling Sam about the baby was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She'd barely had time to let it sink in as it was.

"So, what's for supper?" she asked.

"Come inside and see," he replied with a smile.

She returned his smile and took his hand, following him into the house.

**A/N: How long do you think she can keep it a secret? And what about Crowley? What do you think he really wants?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Jessie was surprised when she walked into the kitchen to find a whole meal waiting on the table. She smiled in surprise at Bobby, who seemed incredibly happy to see her, which only increased her guilt about her meeting with Crowley.

"You look surprised," Bobby said as he placed a bowl of vegetables on the table.

"No. Not at all," she replied with a smile.

"You can't fool me," he replied with a teasing grin. "Sit. Eat."

She glanced around the kitchen once. "Shouldn't we wait for Dean?"

"What? So he can eat everything before we get a chance?" Sam joked.

She smiled and sat down at the table and began helping herself. She was starving after all.

It wasn't long before Dean returned to the house with two cases of beer and a bottle of whiskey for Bobby. After setting them down, he practically ran to the table and began scarfing down everything he could get his hands on, except for the vegetables.

After they were finished eating, Jessie kicked the men out of the kitchen so she could clean up and do the dishes. The less time she spent with them, the less guilty she felt. But, the more time she also had to dwell on everything. It wasn't exactly ideal, but she felt it was better than constantly being with them knowing she was keeping a secret.

When she ran out of things to occupy her time, she decided to head into the livingroom where the three men had congregated. Bobby was at his makeshift desk pouring over some papers while enjoying a glass of whiskey, and Sam and Dean were sitting on the couch watching TV. She returned Sam's smile as her eyes locked onto his, then swept over to the couch and snuggled her way between the brothers.

"So...what're we watching?" she asked, since a commercial was on.

"Three men and a baby," Dean replied with a smile.

She groaned inwardly thinking of the complete irony.

"Oh," she replied.

"What? You don't like it?" he replied in surprise.

"I was just hoping you were watching something I haven't seen before," she answered, only partly truthful.

"I guess you should've got here sooner."

Sam shot his brother an irritated look.

"Dean!" Bobby chastised. "Behave."

He shot Jessie an irritated look before turning back to the TV, which had just come back from commercials.

Sam picked up his beer from the table and was about to take a drink, when he realized how rude he was being.

"Would you like my beer, Jessie?" he asked, holding it out towards her. "I can get myself another."

She wanted a drink, but she knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she drank while she was pregnant.

"No. It's fine, Sam. I'm not in the mood for a beer."

He gazed at her with surprise, although, her guilt made her think it was suspicion.

"Would you like something else?"

"No. I'm okay, Sam," she replied as cheerily as possible.

He smiled, wrapping his arm around her and pulled her close.

She snuggled into him, sighing slightly as she relaxed and got comfortable. She found it difficult to find the movie funny whatsoever, as she thought about the parallels between it and her own life. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she imagined the thought of Sam, Dean and Bobby with a baby. She didn't know whether it would turn out to be a comedy or a tragedy. Although she had some idea.

She had begun to doze off while laying against Sam's chest, more from boredom than actual exhaustion, when something startled her awake. She nearly jumped up from the couch, but Sam's strong arm held her safely and firmly seated.

"Cas?" Dean said with surprise.

Jessie swallowed hard, glaring in his direction.

"Hello, Dean. Sam. Jessie. Bobby," he greeted, glancing at each of them in turn.

Dean and Bobby stood up, but Jessie refused to, so Sam continued to sit with her on the couch as well.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," he said, looking apologetic. "I just came to warn you."

"Warn us about what?" Bobby asked.

"I was following Crowley in to town when I lost him," he replied.

"What do you mean by, lost him?"

"He was there and then he wasn't."

"Well that's helpful," Dean said.

He glanced at Dean in confusion. "I don't think you understand."

"You're right, I don't. So explain it. While we're still young."

He glanced over in Jessie's direction, making her suddenly uncomfortable. She wasn't sure what he was going to say, but she hoped he didn't know about her meeting with Crowley.

"I was following him and he disappeared suddenly. I looked everywhere but there was no trace of him," he replied, gazing straight at Jessie before he turned to Sam. "Since I couldn't find him. I decided to make sure all of you were safe."

"Well now you can see that we are."

He glanced at Dean for a moment and shook his head. "Now you are," he replied, glancing once again in Jessie and Sam's direction. "But I was unable to find Jessie earlier."

All of the men simultaneously glanced in her direction.

"Were you speaking with Crowley again, young lady?" Bobby asked in a scolding tone.

"No!" she protested, perhaps a little too much. "Don't you think I would've told you?"

"I don't know with you sometimes," he replied, sounding disappointed.

"It's nice that you immediately jump to conclusions based on whatever the angel has to say. And without any actual proof I might add. Other than he's incompetent," she snapped. "It wasn't long ago you couldn't trust him, but somehow he's more trustworthy than I am."

"I never said anything like that, Jess and you know it."

She was about to say something when Sam leaned close whispering in her ear. "Let's just listen to what he has to say so he can leave."

She smiled at him gratefully, shaking her head lightly in agreement.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Jessie," Cas said apologetically. "I was only concerned about you."

She snorted in disbelief before she could stop herself.

He gazed at her with confusion. "Is it really that hard to believe?"

"Actually it is," she replied.

"But you're a Winchester now. Of course I would be concerned about you," he replied matter-of-factly, as if that completely explained it.

She rolled her eyes heavily. "Well, thanks. But I'm fine."

He smiled at her slightly, mistaking her sarcasm for sincerity.

"Is there anything else, Cas?" Sam asked, hoping to end the awkwardness.

"Nothing substantial," he replied. "I just came to warn you that Crowley was in the area."

"Oooh, I feel safer now that the angel is on his trail," she said with heavy sarcasm.

He glanced at her in confusion, clearly not understanding why she seemed to be so ungrateful.

"It's fine, Cas," Bobby said. "Thanks for letting us know."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement before disappearing in an instant, only the sound of flapping wings announcing his departure.

The moment he disappeared, Jessie stood up from the couch, wrenching herself free of Sam's grip. She began stomping out of the livingroom, when Bobby called her name, stopping her in her tracks. She turned around glaring at him furiously. But her hardened look softened when she noticed the apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Jess," he said tacitly. "What I said was much harsher than I actually meant it to be."

It was difficult for her to stand there and listen to him apologize when he was actually the one in the right. She felt incredibly guilty for having to lie to him, but she knew it was necessary for the moment.

"It's fine, Bobby. I'm a big girl."

He looked as if he was exasperated, but he didn't say anything more, even after she waited, awkwardly, for him to speak again. But after a few more moments, she left the room and headed up to her bedroom.

In her bedroom, she changed into some comfortable pajamas and laid down in bed with a book. She hadn't read for pleasure in a long time and it seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. She needed something to keep her from thinking too much about everything, especially her own guilt.

She wasn't sure how much later it was when Sam woke her up, book still in hand. He had climbed into the bed with her, brushing hair from her face. She returned his bright smile, genuinely happy to see him.

"I didn't mean to wake you up," he said with a smile. "You just looked so beautiful I couldn't help myself."

She smiled brightly. "It's okay. I was only resting my eyes."

"Right," he said with a chuckle.

She set the book on the nightstand before cuddling up with Sam. He tried coaxing her into more than cuddling, but she wasn't in the mood. After everything that had happened, the last thing on her mind was sex. All she wanted to do was lie in his arms and feel safe, wishing that she would wake up and everything that had happened had been nothing but a bad dream.

Jessie woke up early the next morning, the sun only beginning to rise above the horizon. She had to pee so badly, there was no way she could sleep any longer, no matter how tired she was. She wondered why she had to pee so badly, since most of what she'd read said that you didn't normally have to so badly in the second trimester. But she had to pee moreso than even the first three months. She didn't think she was going to like this whatsoever. She wanted it over. Now.

After using the bathroom, she went downstairs and made coffee, then decided to make breakfast as well. She knew the moment the boys smelled the food they would awaken, and as badly as she felt for lying to them, she needed their company.

As she'd expected, all three of the men came to join her in the kitchen shortly after she'd begun to cook. She hoped it didn't seem suspicious, but she went all out making a huge breakfast. She did it often enough she didn't think they would notice any alterior motives behind it. And since it had been awhile since she was able to cook for them, she figured they would only be grateful.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. The four of them spent the day researching and looking for cases, except for the moment when Bobby was on the phone for hours, attempting to bail a hunter out of a jam.

The next few days were very similar. The four of them researched cases, while Jessie did the majority of the cooking and cleaning. She also stayed in the house almost the entire time, except when she went out to go jogging with Sam. Normally she let him go alone, but she needed to keep her weight from increasing too dramatically. And, the exercise was good for her. He seemed to be curious as to why she suddenly wanted to jog with him, but he never asked her outright, and she hoped he wouldn't. She wasn't sure what she would say if he did.

They were at Bobby's for a week when they finally caught wind of a case. In fact, it was two cases a state apart. One was what seemed like a werewolf attack, while the other seemed to be a nest of vampires. Bobby had spent the morning trying to find a hunter to take the case of the werewolf, since it was farther away. But he had no luck finding anyone that was close enough and wasn't already involved in a case of their own.

"I can take care of the werewolf," Jessie said to the men with irritation. "There's only four days left before he disappears for another month. We can't let him get away."

"I don't think you should take on a werewolf alone," Sam said with concern.

She glared at him furiously. "I've been hunting werewolves alone since you were in college attending classes and doing homework. I think I can handle it."

He shrugged his shoulders in defeat. He knew she was right, although he didn't like the idea of her heading off alone. Not while Crowley and Meg are after her.

"Fine. That's settled then," she said with a note of finality.

The three men passed anxious glances at each other, but none of them voiced their disagreement aloud.

"Well, I better go pack. I have a long drive ahead of me," she said, sweeping from the kitchen quickly.

She headed into her room and began packing. She began wondering how long it would take Sam to follow her, when he walked into the room quietly. She resisted the urge to turn around and snap, instead, waiting to see what he was going to say.

He walked up behind her slowly, grabbed her hands—setting down what she'd had in them—and pulled her close, pressing his warmth against her.

"I know you can handle yourself," he said as he brushed stray hairs from her face. "But I can't help worrying about you."

She sighed. "I know, Sam. That's why I'm not mad at you, or Dean and Bobby. But you have to remember that I've been taking care of myself for a long time."

"Just promise me you won't do anything crazy," he said hopefully.

"You mean, crazier than going after a werewolf alone?" she teased.

"Yeah," he replied with a smile, although the smile didn't touch his eyes.

She began running her fingers through his hair with a smile. "I already miss you, too, Sam."

He pulled her body against him tight and began to kiss her passionately.

As much as she wanted him at that moment, she knew she had to leave right away. There was only a limited time to find and kill the werewolf. Pulling away from his embrace slightly, she frowned in disappointment.

"I don't want to go right now, but I have to, Sam."

He tugged her close again, kissing her once gently on the lips.

"I love you, Mrs. Winchester," he said with a loving smile.

"That's Mrs. _Drake_–Winchester to you," she teased with a smile.

"It's always a joke with you until the end, isn't it?" he asked.

"Absolutely," she teased, then leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "I love you, too, Mr. Winchester."

He smiled, doing his best not to show how upset he was that she was leaving. He knew she could handle herself, but somehow he felt it was wrong to let her go this time. He didn't know why he felt that way, so he kept his concerns to himself. He knew she would just get upset, and it was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment. He didn't want to part with her on angry terms—just in case.

She grabbed her dufflebag and was about to leave the room with it, when Sam took it from her hands and offered to carry it downstairs for her. She was going to protest, but he told her it was something that husbands should do for their wives, so she let him have his way—this time.

They were walking through the kitchen heading outside, when Bobby stopped her. It seemed like he wanted to say something important to her, but he only wanted to wish her well and say goodbye, which he ended with a firm hug. She didn't understand why everyone seemed to be acting like she was heading to her death, but for once it didn't make her upset. She now had the family she'd wanted—and needed— for so long. Too bad she was feeling guilty for keeping things from them.

After another long goodbye with Sam, she finally got into her car and began the long drive towards her case. She had made sure she'd grabbed a few snacks for the long drive, preferring not not to stop too many times on the way there. Too bad she hadn't counted on having to stop so many times to use the bathroom. So when she finally arrived, it was already getting dark. She was going to have to get ready pretty quickly if she wanted to even attempt to track it tonight.

She grabbed a newspaper, before stopping at the nearest motel to check in for the night. It wasn't the greatest motel she'd been in, but it wasn't the worst either. She only hoped she didn't have to spend more than one night there.

She hastily read through the article about the recent death, then quickly added a spot on the map where she'd already marked the others from her earlier research. She hoped that the attacks would be centralized around one area, which was usually the case. However, it didn't appear that way this time. It was only going to make searching for the werewolf that much more difficult.

Without having a clue where to begin looking, she thought she'd start by driving past the area where the last death took place and work backwards from there. But after she visited the last three deaths which had occured this month, she was still at a lost of where to begin looking for it. All of them were different areas of the city. One was downtown, one in a suburban area and two in the industrial area. But since two had taken place in the industrial area, it was where she was going to look first.

She parked her car close to where the first death had taken place and began to walk around looking for clues. She knew it was a long shot, but she didn't have time to look around and ask questions, the moon had already risen.

Armed with a flashlight in one hand, her gun loaded with silver bullets in another, she began looking around the parking lot, coming across a blood stain left on the cement. She figured this was where the first victim had been, so it was as good a place as any to look for clues. Strangely, there seemed to be a lot of garbage and debris lying around the ground. She thought the police would have removed much of it, just in case there were clues. But they didn't, so she hope she lucked out as she began searching through it.

Not far from the blood stain, she noticed a ripped piece of clothing from a shirt. There was no blood on it, which was probably why the police didn't think it was important enough to take with them. But for her, anything could have significance to a case. She picked it up and was about to pocket it, when she noticed the rips were jagged exactly like claws would leave as they raked through it. She examined it closer, finding it slightly peculiar.

She stopped suddenly to listen, glancing around quickly when she thought she heard something, but found nothing. So she went back to the ripped shirt. It seemed to be from a dress shirt, and if she wasn't mistaken, it was from an expensive designer label. Something that you wouldn't normally find in the parking lot of a factory. She figured it must have come from the werewolf, since there was no blood on it, and the men who had died in the industrial area were all workers who wore uniforms, not designer labels.

She looked around the area a little longer before she finally decided to go back and check the area the last body was found. It seemed more likely she'd find the werewolf in that area, since that was the financial district and it was more likely to find someone wearing expensive designer labels there.

It took her a few minutes to find a parking spot once she got there. It was the weekend and there were quite a few bars in the area. She always found it kind of amusing that there were so many of them around the financial areas of a town. Not that she could blame them. She would want to drink too if she worked at such a boring and stressful job.

She began wandering around the streets, which for the most part were quiet. She felt naked and unsafe not being able to keep her gun in her hand. But she couldn't risk being seen. Instead, she kept it in the front of her pants and moved her silver knife into the sleeve of her jacket.

Against her better judgement, she decided to head down a narrow alleyway that was close to where the last victim had died. She had to stop after she took a few steps in to allow her eyes time to adjust to the darkness. She would wait until she got farther in before taking out her flashlight.

She kept her back as close to one of the walls as she could while her eyes searched the darkness for clues. She recoiled for a moment when she saw a giant rat scurrying past her. She stopped to listen to see if she was the one who had startled it, or something else had. However, there seemed to be nothing, and the deeper she went into the alley, the quieter it became.

She was close to the middle of the alley when she heard a strange grumbling sound coming from somewhere nearby, however, it sounded muffled. She thought she noticed a dumpster in the distance, so she began to head towards it, reaching for her flashlight as she did. But suddenly there was a loud growl, which still sounded muffled but much louder this time. She changed her mind about the flashlight, instead retrieving her gun from her pants—and just in time. Suddenly, a door swung open on the opposite side of the alley and out flew the werewolf, dragging the body of a woman with him.

Jessie raised her gun, curling her finger around the trigger lightly, but as she was about to squeeze a shot off, the werewolf did something unexpected, he yanked the woman in front of him like a shield.

"Let go of her, mongrel!" she yelled.

The werewolf sneered at Jessie before he bit the woman in the shoulder and dropped her to the ground. The moment she had fallen, Jessie squeezed a shot off, but he dodged it. She followed up with two more shots as he began to run down the alley in the direction she'd entered from. The first only glanced off of his leg, but the second hit him in the head, making him howl in pain. He turned around quickly, but that was the moment she'd been waiting for. She pulled off two shots in quick succession, both hitting him square in the chest. He was dead before he hit the ground.

She ran to where the werewolf had dropped, double checking to make sure it was dead before she found her way to the wounded woman. She was still lying on the ground where she'd fallen, breathing, but unconscious. '_I guess this will make things a little easier for me_,' she thought to herself, as she pointed her gun at the woman's chest, shooting her once through the heart. She checked quickly to make sure she was dead before she ran out of the alley from the opposite direction.

While she was in survival mode, Jessie had no problem blocking out everything that had just happened. She left the alley, choosing a very long way to get back to her car, going through several streets and alleys, trying her best not to look suspicious. And once she was in her car, she kept an eye on the rear view mirror, just in case. But once she made it safely back to her motel room, it was a different story.

She was exhausted after driving all day and being up most of the night, all she wanted to do was sleep. But the guilt she had about not being able to save the woman—and having to kill her—wouldn't let her rest. She tried every position she could think of to sleep, managing to lay down for almost an hour, but she still couldn't sleep. It wasn't until she climbed out of bed and headed for her dufflebag that she realized what she needed—a drink.

She never realized until this moment that she had relied so heavily on alcohol to ease her guilt. She wanted a drink. She needed it. But she knew she couldn't drink while she was pregnant. She knew she already had in the beginning of the pregnancy, and there was no way she was going to take a chance she could hurt the child, regardless of her indecision about its fate.

She paced around the room unsure what to do with herself. She thought about calling Sam, but she knew it was late and he was on a case as well. She also knew TV would be no help. And every time she closed her eyes she could see the face of the werewolf's victim, lying helpless on the ground. But eventually her exhaustion won over the guilt, and she fell asleep on the bed while surfing the web on her laptop.

She awoke early in the afternoon feeling rested. However, her state of mind wasn't any better than it had been before she'd slept. She knew much of it had to do with the fact she was pregnant and her hormones were playing a huge part in her mood. But she also knew it was because she normally drank to keep the guilt at bay. She realized now she was going to have to find another strategy to deal with these feelings, or she was gonna have to quit hunting for awhile. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but she knew she couldn't go on like this.

She attempted to call Sam shortly after waking, but he didn't answer his phone, so she called Bobby to find out what was going on. All he could tell her was the last time he'd talked to either of the boys was in the middle of the night. They'd found the nest, but they were waiting until the sun came up before they would make a move on it. She had to assume that they were busy and that was why he hadn't answered his phone. At least she had to keep telling herself that. The alternative was to worry, and she didn't think she could do that without a drink either.

Eventually, she decided to take a walk to have breakfast at the diner down the block, grabbing a newspaper to read while she was eating. She was curious to see if there was a mention of the two deaths, which there was. But what surprised her was a story about some murders that had happened in the next town, which sounded eerily similar to the murders in this town. She imagined there was another werewolf on the loose nearby and she only had three more nights to find it. She headed straight back to her motel room after her breakfast and began to do some research.

It seemed there had only been two murders in that town, one last night and one the night previous. Both victims' hearts were missing. She hoped it meant the werewolf she killed last night had only turned one person, other than the woman she'd already killed the night before. She couldn't imagine having to continuously hunt down one werewolf after another. Especially since there was very little time left this month.

After checking out a map of the area, Jessie packed up and headed into the next town, stopping at the first motel she came across. She didn't plan on staying long, but it was always better to have somewhere to head to, just in case.

After settling in the motel, she decided to drive around and check out the place where the two murders had happened. She knew they were close to each other, but she wanted to check it out in person before nightfall.

She pulled her car down a quiet street lined with houses, parking close to the park where the murders had taken place. Dragging her laptop with her, she walked around the park, eventually sitting down on a bench, opening her computer up and began to do some research on the man she'd killed the night before. She was surprised to learn he lived in the neighbourhood of the park she was visiting, although she really shouldn't have been so surprised. Werewolves often turned people they knew in their human lives. So she hoped that looking into the man's past might give her some insight into who he might have turned, before it could have a chance to kill again.

It was difficult for Jessie to keep her mind on the research whenever someone pushing a baby stroller would pass by her. Each time she found her mind pondering what it would be like to be a mother, a normal mother. However, she knew she could never be a normal mother. She didn't even think she could be a mother at all.

It was even more difficult when a weary-eyed mother sat next to her on the bench, lifting her wailing child out of the stroller and into her arms. She desperately tried to ignore her. However, the baby's crying was too loud to ignore.

"I'm so sorry," the woman said with an apologetic smile. "He must be hungry."

She smiled sympathetically. "It's okay."

"Would you mind holding him for a minute while I grab his bottle out of my diaper bag?" she asked with a smile.

"Why don't you let me find it for you?" she suggested hastily.

The woman smiled. "You've never held a baby, have you?"

She shook her head in response, afraid her voice might crack if she tried to answer her. All she wanted to do was bolt. But she thought it might seem a little too rude.

"Oh," she replied with a friendly smile. "That's okay. I just assumed you'd be like everyone else. Most people want to pick him up."

She didn't know what possessed her to say what she did next, but she instantly regretted it the moment it came out of her mouth.

"I'd love to hold him for a minute."

The woman smiled proudly, holding her son out to Jessie, gently placing him into her arms, then began rooting through her diaper bag.

The child quieted the instant he was placed into Jessie's arms, making her smile involuntarily. She didn't want to feel anything, but she couldn't help it. The child was practically beaming at her and it warmed her heart. She knew she wasn't as cold and heartless as she acted. However, she never realized the feelings an innocent child could elicit from her. It was only going to make a decision about her own child a lot more difficult for her.

When the mother was ready, Jessie handed the baby back to her and returned to her research. She tried unsuccessfully to keep her mind on it, but she was unable to. So after the mother had left, she folded up her laptop and took a walk through the park, before returning to her car to wait for the sun to go down.

**A/N: I am SO sorry it's taken so long to update. After finishing a chapter in one of my other fics, I began writing more and then got stuck and finally returned to this story, but then RL took over and I've had very little free time. I hope this chapter is okay, it almost seems rushed to me, but maybe that's because I feel that way, I don't know. Normally I make a comment about the chapter and ask you a question, but I can't think of anything in particular at the moment lol. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Jessie sat in her car waiting for the sun to go down. She was trying her best to keep her mind on her job, but it kept wandering to the life that was growing inside of her. She didn't know what she was going to do with it. But the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to keep it. She didn't know what was going to happen with the demons, or even what was going to happen with Sam. But at the moment it didn't matter. All she could think about was having a normal life with her child.

Since the days were beginning to get shorter, the darkness came much quicker than normal. If her mind hadn't been so preoccupied she might have remembered that, before it was almost too late. She hastily called Bobby to remind him what she was up to, then loaded her gun with silver bullets, once again placing it in the front of her pants and placing a flashlight into the pocket of her jacket. And when she was ready, she locked her car up and headed into the park.

The park was quiet as the darkness crept across it, devouring all light it touched. All except for the occasional lamp that was along the winding path that made its way from one end of the park to the other, and of course the nearly full moon which was steadily rising overhead. She was happy to find the park was nearly empty once the darkness had descended. She wasn't sure if it was always like this, or perhaps it was quiet due to the murders. Either way she was happy. She didn't need any witnesses around if she found the werewolf.

She scoured the entire park several times. Sometimes following the winding sidewalk, sometimes walking around the perimeter and sometimes just wandering around aimlessly. She didn't find any clues or even a sign of where a struggle may have taken place. She cursed this town's police force for being much more thorough than the last town's was.

She wandered close to the skate park that was in one of the far corners of the park. There were a few teenage boys performing skate tricks there earlier. But as she approached it this time, they seemed to be agitated, speaking in loud voices. She began to quicken her pace, trying to get closer to see what was going on. That was when she heard one of the boys scream in terror and the unmistakeable sound of a werewolf howl.

Jessie ran as fast as she could towards the boys, who seemed too stunned to move. Two of them had their backs to her, while the third was facing them. He was the werewolf.

"Run!" she said to the two boys as she ran up behind them.

They backed up slightly, but neither seemed too eager to take their eyes off of their friend.

"If you don't run, he _will_ kill you," she explained matter-of-factly, while keeping her eyes on the werewolf.

One of the boys backed up a few more steps, but the other didn't move.

"I can't leave you here alone," the boy who didn't move replied.

She snorted. "Trust me. I can handle myself, boy."

"Come on, Randy," the other boy said shakily. "Let's get out of here."

The boy hesitated, obviously as much from fear as it was for chivalry.

Jessie couldn't wait any longer. The werewolf seemed to be waiting for something, but she wasn't sure how long he would continue to just watch. She reached for her gun at the same time the two teenage boys decided to bolt. She didn't even have a chance to completely pull it from her pants when the werewolf bolted as well, heading right after them. She ran after it, afraid to shoot at it while she couldn't get a clear shot. It took her a moment before she had an idea.

"Run in different directions!" she yelled at the boys, hoping they would listen.

It seemed to take a moment before her suggestion registered in their brains and they both began running in opposite directions. And as expected, it confused the werewolf just long enough for him to lose some ground, and for her to gain some. She aimed her gun as he seemed to be thinking about which boy he was going to run after, but he only stopped for a split second and she wasn't quick enough to get a clear shot.

The werewolf had decided to chase after the boy whom the other one had called Randy. She was happy about it first, since he seemed to be the quickest runner. That was until he tripped, sending him tumbling to the ground.

The werewolf was nearly on top of him in moments, so she did the only thing she could to stop him so she could catch up, she shot him twice in quick succession. The first shot he dodged, but the second hit him in the arm. He yelped in pain the moment it tore into his arm, however it didn't stop him, or even slow him down. He was much quicker than any werewolf she'd ever tangled with. Except perhaps the Alpha. Then again, she'd never seen a werewolf so young. She shot him again, but once again he barely flinched. She hadn't wanted to get closer to him, but he had left her no choice. With no clear shot of his heart, she was going to have to force him to open himself up.

She retrieved her silver knife from the sleeve of her jacket, deftly slicing his outstretched arm from the elbow to his shoulder. He screamed in agony, dropping the boy who he'd grabbed by the shirt, turned around quickly and backhanded her, making contact with her shoulder. The force of the blow sent her to the ground, landing on her hands and knees. She was momentarily stunned, but the stinging pain from her shoulder where his claws had managed to break skin kept her from losing it for more than a moment. She dodged out of his way by rolling to the side as he lunged at her, kicking him in the face, sending him stumbling backwards a few steps.

She got up on her hands and knees again in an attempt to grab her gun and knife, which she'd lost when she'd been knocked down. But as she reached out for for the knife, which was closer, the werewolf grabbed a hold of her leg and began pulling her towards him. She desperately tried to reach the knife, screaming in pain as his claws ripped through her jeans and into the flesh just above her ankles. She kicked at his face with her other leg as he dragged her closer. She reached out for her gun, which was lying not far from her, but her fingers weren't quite long enough to grasp it while she was struggling against the enraged beast. He reached out his other hand in an attempt to grab her flailing leg, when the boy bashed him across the back with a long branch, momentarily stunning him.

As the werewolf slackened his grip on her leg, she told the boy to run, pulled her leg free and dove for her gun. But as she finally managed to get a hold of her gun, she heard the boy release a blood curdling scream. She turned around quickly, noticing the werewolf had a hold of the boy by one arm, which was now bent at an odd angle. She aimed her gun carefully, shooting him through the back. The bullet ripped through his chest, piercing his heart. He fell to the ground in a heap, never to move again.

Jessie released her breath, which she hadn't realized she'd been holding before trying to get to her feet. She was unsteady on her feet, but she managed to hobble over to the boy, who was now sitting in the grass with a dumbfounded look etched on his face. She wasn't sure if it was because he was in extreme pain, he was shocked about the death of his friend, or perhaps a combination of both.

"Hey, let's get you outta here," she said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He glanced up at her with a mixture of pain, fear and sadness. "What about him? What was he?"

"You're hurt. You should be worrying about yourself."

He glanced at his broken arm quickly before turning back to her. "You didn't answer my question."

She sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

He snorted. "I think I'm ready to believe just about anything."

She smiled lightly in amusement. "He was a werewolf."

The boy looked at her strangely before glancing up in the sky. "The moon isn't full."

She chuckled lightly. "It doesn't work like that. But I don't have time to explain. I have to leave before the cops get here."

He looked at her with confusion. "Why?"

She stepped over to the now dead boy, lifting his head up so Randy could see his face. "Do you see this?" She asked before setting his head back down. "The cops won't believe us if we tell them he was a werewolf, because he looks normal now that he's dead."

"Oh."

"Yeah. And I'd be looking at murder one."

"But you're not a murderer. You're a hero," he replied with admiration in his eyes.

She tried not to smirk, but she couldn't help it. "I'm not a hero."

He began trying to stand up, but was finding it difficult with only one good arm. So she grabbed his good arm, helping him to his feet, wincing in pain slightly.

"Thank you," he said, before looking at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

The wounds on her shoulder and leg were aching painfully, but she was in more pain than the visible injuries. She wasn't sure, but she thought the struggle with the werewolf had pulled a muscle in her leg. She also felt some cramping in her stomach.

"I've been hurt worse," she replied nonchalantly. "I'll be fine."

He was about to say something else, when his friend came running back towards them.

"Now that your friend is here, I have to leave," she began to explain. "There is no possible way the cops will believe the truth."

"What do we tell them?"

"Tell them he attacked you and someone came to help you. You could always tell them you don't remember much after he broke your arm."

"But I don't want them to catch you. You saved my life."

If she hadn't been in so much pain she might have laughed. But she had a difficult time finding humor in the situation at this point.

"I'll be fine as long as you don't give them an accurate description."

"I won't do that."

She nodded her head and was about to walk away, when she gazed at him sadly. "I'm really sorry about your friend. If there was any other way—"

He nodded his head in acknowledgement with a sorrowful look.

She headed back to her car as quickly as she could, despite the pain becoming more and more intense with every step. It took much longer and seemed much farther away than she'd remembered. But she eventually stumbled inside, her shaky hands barely able to fish her keys from the pocket of her pants and start the car. Thankfully, the motel wasn't far from the park. She was finding it difficult to stay concious while she was driving.

When she finally made it back to the motel, she managed to drag herself into the room and sit down on the bed, rustling through her dufflebag for her medical kit. It was the last thing she remembered until much later, when she woke up on the floor in a pool of blood. She was confused as to why there was so much blood and had no idea where it could have come from. Then she recalled she was pregnant and assumed the worst. She tried to pick herself up from the floor so she could get to her phone, but she was too weak from loss of blood to move herself more than a few feet, not anywhere near her phone. As she continued to try and get to her phone she found herself slipping into unconsciousness again.

Jessie's eyes fluttered open, but she found it difficult to keep them that way. They felt incredibly heavy. But eventually she was able to keep them open, not fully open, but enough to see.

She had known by the sounds around her that she was in the hospital. But being able to open her eyes only confirmed what she'd already known. She had no idea how she'd gotten there, and she was afraid to find out. But as if he knew exactly what she was thinking at that moment, the man responsible for helping her stepped up beside her.

"Crowley?" she said with surprise.

He grinned at her looking very amused with himself.

"Hello, my dear."

She closed her eyes for a moment to think, since her brain was a little hazy. When she opened them again, he was standing closer to her.

"Don't bother speaking. You need to save your strength."

She glanced at him with confusion, opening her mouth to ask something, but he put his hand up to hush her.

"The baby is fine, for now," he said sternly. "We will speak about everything when you're a bit stronger."

"But—"

"End of discussion," he replied, cutting her off midsentence.

She relented, but she didn't like it. He had obviously saved herself and her child's life. She knew that meant she was indebted to him now, and she knew he would definitely collect what was owed him. She could only hope the price wasn't too high.

"Before I go," he said with a strange look. "Your cover story—you were attacked by a large dog."

She nodded her head in acknowledgement before closing her eyes, surrendering to her exhaustion.

She drifted in and out of consciousness for the next twenty four hours, prefering to sleep if she could. She didn't remember much about the moments she was awake, except for the nurses or doctors poking and prodding at her. It was sometime the next day that she finally woke enough to sit up and have something to eat. She had just finished eating her lunch when Crowley showed up again.

"Hello, darling," he greeted her with a slight smile.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Are you looking for a thank you, Crowley? Because that's not happening."

He smirked. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

"I'm glad you understand," she said with narrowed eyes. "Now I need to get out of here."

He gazed at her curiously. "Have you spoke with a doctor?"

"Not yet. Why?"

"You're in no shape to leave."

She narrowed her eyes again. "I have to leave. Sam, Dean and Bobby are gonna wonder where the hell I am. And I can't very well tell them I'm in a hospital."

He gazed at her with annoyance. "I could care less what you tell them. They're the least of my worries right now."

"Well they're all I care about at the moment."

His eyes narrowed for a moment. "You should be worried about yourself. You're lucky I was the one who found you and not Meg."

She rolled her eyes. "She wants me alive."

He snorted. "Alive, yes. Comfortable, no."

"When are you gonna tell me what you want with me and my child?"

He gazed at her shrewdly with the tiniest hint of a grin. "I already told you. I don't want Meg to get her hands on you."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Why didn't you let me die then? Why save me and the baby?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"In due time, Jessie," he replied with finality. "My suggestion to you right now is to get away from the Winchesters."

"That's not gonna happen."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Your funeral."

She sighed loudly. "Maybe if you explained what the hell you're talking about..."

He gazed at her shrewdly again, pondering his answer. "I'll tell you soon enough."

She opened her mouth to ask another question, but he'd turned his back and left before she even had a chance.

Jessie shook her head in frustration, lying her bead back on the bed. She only wanted to run everything Crowley had said through her mind, trying to make sense of it all, when she dozed off. When she woke up next, it was from a nurse who was holding her cell phone out to her.

"This thing has been ringing every few minutes for the last hour," she said with irritation.

She smiled apologetically as she took the phone from her hand, waiting until the nurse had left before checking who had been calling. She wasn't surprised to find several missed calls from Bobby, Sam and Dean. But she was surprised to find one from Mike. She wondered if they'd actually tried calling him to see if he knew where she was, or if it was just a coincedence. While she didn't believe in coincedence, she really hoped that's all it was this time. Mike was the one person she'd always been able to trust with any secret, and she really needed someone like that right now.

She set her phone on the bed beside her and laid her head back again to try and rest, but she'd only just closed her eyes when it went off again. She picked it up quickly to see who it was, taking a moment to decide if she should answer it.

"Hey, Sam," she said, trying to keep her voice from sounding suspicious.

"Jessie," he said with exasperation. "You had me worried. Where've you been?"

She wished she'd had time to prepare a story. She was good, but she knew Sam was better. She swallowed hard, hoping she'd be able to pull this off.

"In the hospital."

"What?! Where?!"

"It's okay, Sam. I wasn't hurt that badly," she lied. "I was only there for a day, then I got back to my motel room and slept pretty much since then."

"What happened?"

"I thought the werewolf fractured my leg, but it was only a torn ligament."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few moments.

"Are you sure you're really okay, Jess?" he asked with concern.

"Are you calling me a liar, Sam?" she asked with fake irritation, although it broke her heart to snap at him.

"No, no, nothing like that. I, uh, just think you, uh, usually downplay how hurt you are," he stammered.

She closed her eyes for a moment trying to ease her guilt.

"Fine. I underestimated the werewolf and he roughed me up a little. All I need is a bit of rest and I'll be back to normal."

"Where are you right now?"

"Sam... I'll meet you at Bobby's in a couple of days. Okay?"

There was silence for a moment, then she heard some whispering and what sounded like a struggle over the phone, then a distinctive click. She knew she was now on speaker phone.

"That is most definitely not okay," Dean said. "Since Sam isn't going to put his foot down, I will."

She shook her head in mild disbelief, but she couldn't help but smirk slightly. If she hadn't been lying to both of them, she might have found the situation humorous. Or at the very least, sweet that they cared so much.

"Nice try, Dean."

"If you're not gonna listen to us, we'll just call Bobby."

She wanted to laugh, the whole situation should've been funny. Dean being a tattle tale, running to tell Bobby. But she felt so guilty she wanted to cry.

"It's nice that you care, Dean. But I'll be fine. I just need a couple of days to myself," she replied as evenly as possible. "Now take it off speaker and hand the phone back to Sam."

She heard a click and some shuffling then the familiar sound of Sam's breathing.

"He means well," he said, sounding apologetic.

The guilt hit her again, making her stomach lurch.

"I know, Sam. I'm not angry. I just wish you could trust me."

"I do. I just—I don't know, I just worry about you."

A silent tear fell from her eye. "I know," she replied breathlessly.

He was silent for a few moments, except for the sound of his breathing. She imagined he must have been running his fingers through his hair, like he usually does when he's frustrated.

"I love you, Jessie."

The way he said it made her think he was upset, maybe even sad. Another tear ran down her cheek.

"I love you, too, Sam," she replied, desperately trying to keep her voice from wavering.

"I'll see you soon."

"Bye."

She ended the call quickly before she broke down, then turned off the ringer. She knew the GPS had already been turned off or they would've already known where she was. But she double checked anyway, just to be safe, before putting it on the table beside her bed and laying down. She hadn't intended to sleep, but the next thing she knew a nurse was waking her up to eat dinner.

After dinner she did pretty much the same thing she'd done after lunch—sleep. She was tired, but it wasn't the only reason. She was upset and depressed about everything that had happened and she was unsure where to go from here. She didn't want to believe anything Crowley had told her, but somehow she believed he was looking out for her. She knew it was for a completely selfish reason, for which she was still confused about, but she knew he was trying to keep her safe. She only doubted his method. And most importantly, she didn't trust him one bit.

She woke up sporadically through the night, unable to sleep for more than an hour at a time. She was feeling antsy and desperately wanted out of the hospital. She'd promised the nurses that she would wait until she could speak to the doctor when he came by to see her in the morning, but after that, all bets were off. She hated being cooped up anywhere. But nowhere more than a hospital.

She was awake and out of bed by eight in the morning, despite the objections of the nurses. She was sick of being in the bed. All she wanted was out of the bed and out of the hospital. She'd never been a good patient and she wasn't about to start now.

The doctor finally showed up shortly after she'd had breakfast, not that she could call what she ate breakfast. If she'd hadn't been so hungry, she wouldn't have even touched it. He began to explain what had happened using a lot of medical terms, some she understood, some she didn't. The only information she was interested in was her limitations. He wanted her to stay off her feet for awhile and no heavy physical activity. She guessed that meant no hunting. She wasn't sure she liked that idea, but she knew it was imperative to follow his instructions if she didn't want to have a miscarriage. A week ago she might have thought it was for the best, but she'd begun to feel differently about the baby the more time that passed. And when she'd initially woke up in her motel room covered in blood, she was upset and scared that she'd lost the baby. She had been relieved when Crowley had told her it was fine.

Immediately after the doctor left, Jessie began looking through her dufflebag, which had been brought with her to the hospital. She knew it must have been Crowley's doing, which only made her realize how indebted she was to him. But since she felt she was already completely screwed, she hoped he'd also managed to bring her car as well.

She filled out numerous papers to check herself out against medical advice, ignoring the scornful looks from several nurses. They'd already voiced their concerns loud and clear, but there was no way she was staying in the hospital a minute longer than was necessary. She wasn't planning on doing anything strenous for awhile, so there was no reason for them to worry.

She was walking out of the hospital when her car pulled up in front of her. Normally, she might have thought it was a look-a-like, but she knew her car anywhere. She stopped where she was for a moment, when the driver's side door opened and a familiar figure climbed out.

"Hello, my dear," Crowley greeted her with a grin.

"What the hell are you doing driving my car?" she asked angrily.

"Should I have let you walk?" he asked sarcastically, then narrowed his eyes. "Just get in and let's go."

She shook her head furiously. "No way in hell. I'm driving."

He walked around the car, handing her the keys. "Fine."

She threw her dufflebag in the back of the car before she climbed into the driver's side, wondering if she'd suddenly gone insane. She didn't know why she was allowing Crowley to assist her, but losing her mind seemed to be the only answer that made any sense.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

"That's completely up to you," he replied tersely.

She glanced at him quickly before turning her eyes back on the road. "Things would go a lot easier if you would just tell me what the hell it is you want."

"I thought you would have figured that out by now," he once again replied tersely.

She shook her head in frustration. "I have, but I have no clue what it means."

"We'll discuss all of it very soon," he replied.

"Why not now?"

He was silent for a moment before he answered. "Because several things need to happen before you're even ready to know everything."

She snorted. "You're so full of shit, Crowley."

He chuckled lightly. "Am I?"

"Yeah."

He turned his gaze towards her. "How do you feel about the baby right now, Jessie?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked defensively.

"It has everything to do with it."

She wasn't exactly sure what he was getting at, but she was ready to throw him out of the car—while it was still moving.

"If that's all you're gonna say then you might as well get out of the car."

"Fine. But first I want you to think about something," he said, waiting until she responded by nodding her head. "What lengths are you willing to go through to protect this baby's life? The baby of the man you claim to love so much."

She inhaled once deeply to calm herself before pulling the car over to the side of the road. "Get out!"

"I guess I hit a nerve," he commented quietly before leaving the car.

The moment the door closed she floored the gas pedal, trying to put as much distance between herself and Crowley as she could. She had no idea where she was going to go, but her first thought was to head home. It had always been her sanctuary and always would be, married or not. She knew she'd be safe there from everyone.

It was a long drive home from where she was. And much of the time she found herself thinking about the last thing Crowley had said. She didn't know the answer to his question now, any more than she had when he had asked it. Even after running it through her head, she couldn't come up with a straight answer. She knew she'd been upset when she thought she'd lost the baby, but at the same time, she wasn't sure if she wanted it. It was all very confusing.

It was late by the time she drove her car up the familiar driveway to her house, and she was exhausted. She'd only stopped once during the whole trip to eat and use the bathroom, she'd wanted to get home so badly. Once she dragged her belongings in the house, she realized the ringer on her phone was still turned off. She was going to turn it on, but she was too tired to deal with anyone at the moment. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and enjoy the quiet bliss that sleep would bring. After setting her alarm system, she headed up to her bedroom, climbed into bed, falling asleep almost instantly, not waking until late the next morning.

After showering and eating, Jessie finally turned the ringer back on her phone. She had several messages, but she didn't bother listening to them, she was sure they all pretty much said the same thing. Instead, she just decided to call Sam and get it over with.

She kept the call as brief as she could, offering up very little information other than she was okay. She really hated lying to him, but she needed more time alone to figure out what she was going to do about the baby. If only she knew what Crowley wanted she might even consider telling Sam. But until she knew something concrete, she just couldn't.

It was much later in the day when there was a knock at her door. She checked the monitor on her security camera, very displeased by who it was. However, it hadn't been unexpected.

"What do you want, Crowley?" she asked as she opened the door.

He grinned. "Why don't we discuss this outside?"

"Why don't we discuss this inside?" she asked sarcastically.

He narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "You know I can't come in."

"That's right, I do," she replied with a grin. "I'm safe as long as I'm inside this door."

He shook his head just slightly. "I've never tried to hurt you."

"And you're not gonna start today."

He shook his head again in disbelief. "All I've ever done is try to help you, and this is the thanks I get?"

"Yeah, thanks," she replied sarcastically. "Do you want a cookie? Or an award?"

"Damn, Winchesters," he mumbled under his breath, making her smile.

"Why don't you tell me why you're here—again?" she asked.

He grinned slightly. "Did you think about the answer to my question?"

She wanted to tell him she hadn't. But the truth was she had, and she had an answer. She just wasn't sure it was the right one.

"I did."

"Are you willing to do whatever you need to to protect your child?"

"Yes," she replied hesitantly.

"Then we have some things to discuss," he replied ominously.

**A/N: Another chapter so soon you say? Yup. Funny how losing your internet for 2 days can give you inspiration lol. Actually, it was almost completed before I lost it anyway. I also have another chapter written, but not proofread. I'm gonna give it a few days. You know, for suspense lol. So what do you think Crowley really wants? He seems to have taken a huge personal interest in Jessie's health and welfare, hasn't he?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"Where are you?" Sam asked with frustration as he paced back and forth with his phone.

"I'm on a hunt, I told you," Jessie replied, trying her best to keep her voice from giving her guilt away.

"You promised we'd meet at Bobby's."

She sighed exaggeratedly. "I never promised anything, Sam. I said that I would. I just didn't realize I'd run into a case."

"Let me know where you are so Dean and I can help out."

She swallowed hard, the guilt felt like it was crushing her. She wanted to see Sam so badly, but she couldn't. She needed to protect her child and this was the only way.

"I can take care of it myself, Sam," she replied shortly. "I'll see you soon."

"Jessie—"

"I love you, Sam," she interrupted.

"I love you, too," he barely had a chance to say before she ended the call.

*** 2 days later** *

"Are you on your way to Bobby's yet?" Sam asked, once again pacing with his phone.

She hesitated. "No. I ran into another case."

"What?! You aren't serious?"

"Completely," she replied with fake irritation. "It shouldn't take me long to wrap up. I'll call you when I'm on my way."

"I miss you, Jessie," he said ruefully.

"I know, Sam. I miss you, too. I'll see you soon, though."

"I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied, ending the call quickly.

She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up the charade, it was already difficult and she had many months to go. She hated lying to him and she wanted to see him so badly. But she had to protect their baby, and this was the only way.

*** 1 week later ***

"Where the hell are you, Jess?" Sam asked angrily, gripping his phone tightly. "Why haven't you called anyone to let us know you're okay?"

"I've been busy, Sam. One case after another," she replied as evenly as possible.

"Too busy to call and let someone know you're okay?"

"Yes."

She heard him sigh loudly and imagined he was running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Is something going on?"

"Like what?"

"You tell me, Jess," he snapped. "Is it me? Have you changed your mind about our marriage?"

"No!" she replied quickly. "Definitely not."

She felt the guilt and pain tear through her making it difficult for her to breathe. She wanted nothing more than to be with him, but she couldn't. She desperately wished she could tell him why. It had only been two weeks since she'd seen him and she was already going out of her mind from loneliness.

"Then what is it? What's going on?"

"Just the job, Sam. You know how it is."

"I do, but—some things are more important than the job."

She closed her eyes completely in agreement with him. If only she could tell him about the baby, she wouldn't be hurting so badly.

"I've had to keep a low profile, Sam. The cops have been nosing around a little too closely."

"Can you promise we'll see each other soon?"

She closed her eyes, silent tears rolling down her face.

"I don't make promises I can't keep, Sam."

There was a long moment of silence on the other end before he spoke again.

"At least keep in touch," he said, his voice cracking.

"Sure," she replied, trying to keep her voice from doing the same. "I love you, Sam."

"I love you, too, Jess."

She ended the call quickly before she broke down. She was lonely, sad and felt so guilty. She wanted to be with Sam, she missed him terribly. But she had to continuously remind herself it was for the baby. Its safety had to come before her own feelings, and Sam's, no matter how badly her heart ached.

*** 2 months later***

Bobby's home phone was ringing, which he was genuinely surprised about. Every hunter who knew him never called his home phone, so it hardly ever rang. The only calls that usually came through on his home phone were telemarketers or the occasional call from the police. He was going to ignore it, but he thought he should answer it, just in case.

"Hello?"

"Is this Bobby?" the male caller asked.

"Depends who's asking," he replied.

"This is Mike. You know, Jessie's friend."

"Yes, this is Bobby."

"I'm so glad I was able to find your number," he said with agitation. "I wanted to talk to you about her."

"You mean you've heard from her?" he asked with hope.

"What? You mean you haven't?"

"No, I haven't. Not for almost two months."

"Oh," he replied, becoming silent for a few moments. "She's, uh, been at home for awhile now."

"How long?"

"I don't know, but at least a few weeks," he replied, pausing for a few moments. "I would've tried calling sooner if I had known you didn't know."

"Are you sure she's at home?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm calling," he replied with a sigh. "She called me yesterday and asked me to get her some things in town and bring them to her. But when I got there she wouldn't open the door for me. It seemed so strange, but, I've known her a long time, and it wouldn't be the first time she's done something strange." He was silent for a moment. "But this seems different somehow. It bothered me all night, so I thought I should call you. Maybe you could find out what's wrong with her."

He wasn't sure what was going on, but he was definitely going to find out.

"Of course I will, Mike. I appreciate you letting me know."

"Call me when you know something, please?"

"Definitely."

After goodbyes were exchanged, Bobby immediately called the Winchesters, telling them to drop everything and head to Jessie's house. They were going to find out what's been going on with her before the end of the day, come hell or high water. He'd been completely sick with worry over her. It wasn't like she hadn't gone two months without contacting him before, but that was before they'd become much closer, and before she was a married woman. He knew in the deepest recesses of his heart that it could only be something important. It had to be the only reason she'd hidden from all of the people who cared so much about her. He only hoped she was okay. He didn't know what he would do if something happened to her.

He packed a few things before jumping in his old Chevelle and headed towards Jessie's house at a high rate of speed. He'd visited her house in the past two months and so had the Winchesters, but all those times it seemed like no one was there. And with her high tech alarm system, there was no way for him to get inside if she didn't want him to. But he wasn't going to let it stop him this time. He knew she was there and he wasn't going to stop until he laid his eyes upon her. Then he was going to throttle her for making him worry.

It barely took him an hour to get to her house, which normally would take almost two hours. It seemed quiet, even after he climbed out of the car and approached the front door. He knocked loudly several times, stopping to listen if he could hear any sounds that would mean she was home. But even after several knocks and several minutes, he heard nothing. He began to pace around the porch for a few moments, before deciding to walk around the house to look for signs of it being occupied.

It had snowed a few days earlier, which wasn't unsual for mid-December. It wasn't a significant snowfall, but enough to leave a thin blanket on the ground. It had warmed up since then and much of it had melted. But there were still patches where it hadn't melted. Mostly where the sun didn't touch during the day, or near clumps of grass or rocks. He hadn't walked far around the house when he noticed a partial boot mark in a small patch of snow. It looked like it was small enough to be Jessie's print. It was pointing out towards the back of her property, and, it looked fresh, like it had been made today and not the day it had snowed.

The only thing out in the back of her property was an old barn where she often worked on her car. It used to be a horse barn, but her grandfather had sold the horses shortly after Jessie had come to live with him, instead, becoming a place to house and work on their cars. Bobby affectionately remembered helping her grandfather work on his 1969 Impala, before he'd sold it. And also helping her work on the car she now drove, after the years of neglect it had suffered.

He noticed another footprint much closer to the barn, and if he wasn't mistaken, he could swear he noticed light shining out from underneath the door. But with the sun up—even if it was hidden by the clouds—it was still too bright to be sure. He figured if she was home that her car would be there, since he hadn't seen it in the driveway. But it would've been there for some time, since he didn't notice any tire tracks leading to the barn. At least none that seemed recent.

He approached the side door entrance quietly, placing an ear close to the door to listen for movement, but it was unnecessary. He could hear a radio playing quietly in the distance, as well as the sound of metal on metal. If he had thought it could be someone else, that thought left his mind quickly the moment he heard her begin singing along to the song on the radio.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to get a grip on his anger, as well as waiting for an opportunity to walk in the door. He didn't want to take the chance to walk in and startle her while she might be working on the car and hurt herself. He waited until he didn't hear any movement, then grasped the door handle tightly. And in one fluid movement, he turned the knob, opened the door and walked into the barn.

The first thing he noticed was the hood of her car was up, and then he noticed her figure standing on the other side of the hood with her back to him. He could tell she hadn't heard the door open, and he didn't want to startle her, but he was past caring about that at this moment.

"Jessie!" he called loudly, watching as she jumped slightly, but she didn't turn around.

"Turn around right now, young lady," he said as he began approaching the car.

She shook her head in refusal. "You need to leave, Bobby," she said quietly.

"I'm not gonna do that and you know it," he replied, stopping in front of her car, only ten feet away from her.

She sniffled, trying her best to hold back tears that were threatening to fall.

"Jess!" he called impatiently.

She sighed loudly, her shoulders slumping in defeat. She took a deep breath before turning around to face him.

If he hadn't been looking at her face as she turned around, he might have noticed her overly large belly sooner. It took a moment before he noticed, almost jumping back in shock.

"You're pregnant!" he said with surprise. "Is this why you've been hiding?"

She shrugged her shoulders, unwilling to give him any information.

He approached her slowly, stopping in front of her. When she didn't move, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her awkwardly.

"What's going on, Jess?" he asked pulling back, but squeezing her upper arms gently. "We've all been so worried about you."

She shrugged her shoulders again while looking at him regretfully.

"Dammit, kid," he said with disappointment. "Don't you have an explanation?"

She gazed into his eyes sadly. "I do."

"Well?"

She pursed her lips, averting his gaze. "Not here. Let's go in the house," she replied, leaving out the rest of what she wanted to say, '_where it's safer_'.

Initially, Bobby was worried she was going to run off into the house ahead of him and slam the door in his face. But after walking behind her for a short time, he realized she probably couldn't waddle faster than he could run, old man or not. It was strange. Especially since he didn't know whether he should be happy about her pregnancy, or upset. Either way, he was happy she seemed to be strong and healthy.

When they made it into the house, Jessie headed straight for the couch, carefully sitting herself down, putting her legs up on the ottoman that was sitting there. She took a few deep breaths while she waited for Bobby to sit down.

Bobby sat down on the couch beside her. Now that he could see her face in a more natural light, he noticed how pale and tired she seemed to be. He wondered if she'd been taking care of herself and the baby.

"I know you're expecting a long explanation as to why I've been avoiding you and everyone else," she began, as he looked at her expectationally. "But I don't really have one."

He snorted. "Really? So you expect me to believe you got knocked up and decided to go it alone. Do you really take me for a fool, Jess?"

"It's the truth."

"Bullshit! This has something to do with Meg and Crowley, doesn't it?"

"Bobby—"

"Don't you dare tell me another lie, young lady! I've been nothing but good to you. At the very least I deserve the truth."

"I know," she replied sadly. "But if you know, then Sam knows. And I can't risk that."

He shook his head in disappointment. "How could you keep something like this from Sam?"

"Because I have to, Bobby. I wish I could make you understand."

"There's nothing you could say to make me understand why you've lied, kid."

She began absentmindedly rubbing a spot on her belly while gazing at Bobby sadly.

"I've done everything to protect my baby."

He gazed at her pensively for a few moments. "How far along are you?"

She looked at him with surprise. She'd been expecting a completely different question.

"Just over five months."

His eyes widened in surprise. "How long have you known?"

"Bobby—"

"How long have you known, Jess?" he asked again, stopping her before she could finish protesting.

She sighed, knowing he was going to continue asking until she told him. "The night I left Vegas."

"What? So you knew before you went chasing after that werewolf on your own?"

"Yes."

"What the hell is wrong with you, Jess?" he asked with disappointment.

"Look, I'm fine now, Bobby," she replied. "I just need you to trust me."

He shook his head, snorting in disbelief. "We're miles from that, kid. You need to tell me exactly what's going on, and now."

She glanced down at her extended belly for a moment before closing her eyes with a sorrowful look. When she opened them again, there were tears threatening to spill.

"I want to tell you, Bobby. I do. But if I do. I put my baby's life at risk."

"How?"

"I can't tell you."

"Then we'll just wait and you can explain everything to Sam."

"No! I can't explain it to him. Bobby, please!" she said with agitation.

"I'm not leaving until I get an acceptable explanation," he stated adamantly.

She glanced down at her belly again. She wanted to tell him everything, she did. But she knew she'd done all of this to protect her child and she didn't want to throw away the past two months she'd suffered for so easily. She didn't know what to say to get Bobby to leave, but she needed to think of something quickly. If not, she was going to have to tell him the whole truth. Or at the very least, most of it. There was one secret she couldn't tell him about now, or ever.

"I need something to drink first," she said, lifting herself up from the couch gingerly.

"I'll wait here," he replied suspiciously.

It hurt her to hear the suspicion in his voice, not that she could blame him. She had never wanted to lie to him, or keep things from him. If she'd had another choice she gladly would've taken it. Of all the people she knew she was hurting with this secret, Bobby was the one she regretted hurting the most.

She waddled into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of milk, then realized she was also a little hungry, so she grabbed herself a banana as well. She wondered if she should grab something for Bobby as well, but she figured if he had wanted something he would've asked for it.

She quickly peeled and ate the banana, not wanting to have to leave the peel in the livingroom while she spoke with Bobby. She knew it was going to be a long conversation. After throwing the peel in the garbage, she picked up her glass of milk and proceeded to walk back into the livingroom. The moment she pushed open the door to the livingroom, was the same moment her front door flew open. She stood in shock as she gazed back at the equally shocked Winchester brothers.

"What the hell?!" Dean exclaimed, while his brother could only stand still with a dumbfounded look on his face.

She averted her eyes, looking clearly ashamed.

"Sonofabitch!"

Bobby stood up from the couch in an attempt to diffuse the uncomfortable situation.

"Jess, come sit down. Boys, you, too."

Jessie shifted her gaze, unable to look either of the Winchesters in the face. She walked over to the couch, placed her milk on the coffee table before easing herself down onto the couch.

Dean made his way over to one of the chairs, but Sam shook his head, bolting back out the front door.

"Dammit," Bobby sputtered, unsure whether he should chase after Sam or stay with Jessie. He didn't want Dean to upset her while he was gone, in case she changed her mind about telling him what was going on.

She glanced up at him sorrow in his eyes, pleading for him to go after Sam.

"Dean," he said sternly. "I'm going after your brother. I expect you to behave yourself while I'm gone."

"Yeah. Fine. Whatever," he replied.

Bobby glanced at her apprehensively before he chased Sam out the front door.

Jessie sat quietly trying to avoid any eye contact with her brother-in-law. She could tell by his posture and the sound of his breathing that he was angry and upset. She didn't blame him. But she really didn't want to deal with any of this. Bobby she could've handled. But now she wasn't so sure.

"How could you do something like this, Jessie?" he finally asked when his patience had run out.

She gazed up at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Dean."

"You're sorry? That's all you have to say is that you're sorry?" he snapped. "Do you know what Sam's been going through the past two and a half months? What we've all been going through?"

She understood his anger and frustration, and she knew he wouldn't care, but she'd been going through hell too. She wanted to explain, but she wasn't sure how.

"I know sorry isn't enough, but I don't know what else I can say."

He snorted, his hands flying around in frustration. "I don't understand how you could hurt Sam like this. After you promised you never would. What was going through your head? Why couldn't you just tell him what the hell was going on?"

"Enough!" she shrieked, tears falling from her eyes. "You have no idea how much it's been killing me to stay away from Sam. If there was another way..."

"There's always another way," he replied with disappointment.

She gazed down at her protruding belly with sadness. Everything she'd done was to protect the helpless life growing inside of her. How could anyone fault a mother for trying to protect her child?

She was about to say something more when Bobby walked into the house, followed closely by Sam. He walked over to the couch, sitting in the spot that Bobby had occupied earlier. while Bobby shot Dean a knowing glance. It took him a few moments before he understood, getting up from the chair and following Bobby outside.

Sam gazed at Jessie ruefully. He'd been so worried about her, and missed her so much. But knowing she'd been keeping a secret from him, made him feel betrayed. All he'd been thinking about, and dreaming about, was holding her in his arms again. But now that he was with her again, he felt like there was an even bigger distance between them.

"Why would you do this to me, Jessie?" he asked with disappointment. "Why would you make me worry about you? Why wouldn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

She had so many things she wanted to say to him. But as she gazed into his eyes and saw the pain she'd caused, she realized that nothing she could say would be good enough to ease his pain, or her own guilt. She knew she'd done everything to protect her baby. But she knew he wouldn't see it that way. She could only hope that he would eventually forgive her. And if that was going to happen, she was going to have to start explaining things.

She swallowed hard, fighting off tears. "I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't want to hurt you."

"But you did hurt me, Jessie," he said. "You understand that, right?"

"I do."

He shook his head mildly in disbelief. "Why wouldn't you tell me you're pregnant? Were you afraid of what I might say, or do? How far along are you?"

She glanced down at her hands for a moment before fixing her gaze on him once again.

"At first, I didn't know what to think about it myself, Sam. I didn't want to believe I was pregnant." She paused, glancing at her belly for a moment. "I never wanted children. So when I took the test and it came back positive. I was in complete denial."

"When did you find out you were pregnant?" he interrupted.

She shifted her gaze, fighting back tears. She knew her answer was going to upset him.

"The night we left Vegas."

"What?!" he said in surprise. "So that was the reason you wanted to leave. It wasn't because of the news story at all, was it?"

"No, it wasn't."

"And all those times you were sick and feeling tired. It wasn't because of stress. It was because you were pregnant."

She nodded her head lightly. "I know it won't make you feel any better, but—I didn't even suspect I was pregnant until the last night in Vegas. I had no clue, until you said something that made me think about it."

"Really?" he asked in surprise and disbelief.

She sighed. "Do you remember when you made light of the weight I had gained?" He nodded once. "Well, I got pissed at you and then you called Dean. And you told me he said that it was probably getting close to my time of the month. That was when I realized it had been awhile since I had had my time of the month. But when I thought about the sickness and how tired I had been, I just knew."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, with disappointment in his voice.

She averted her eyes for a few moments before responding.

"I was scared, Sam. I didn't want a baby. I didn't think you'd want a baby," she paused for a moment to fight back tears. "I didn't want my life to change. I was finally happy, with you. I didn't want that to end."

"Why would it have to end because of a baby?"

She sighed. "Maybe I was thinking selfishly, but, I didn't want things to change. Hunting is my life. It's no life for a child."

He gazed at her with understanding, reaching out to take her hands into his. "We could've figured it all out, together. If only you'd trusted me enough."

She looked at him with regret, tears filling her eyes. "I do trust you, Sam. It's—me, that I don't trust," she replied hesitantly.

He gazed at her sadly, reaching out his arms towards her and pulled her into his chest. He began stroking her hair as she began to sob, repeatedly apologizing. It took several minutes for her to gain control over herself. But he patiently waited until she was calm enough to speak once again, before he eased her off of his chest, brushing his fingers across her cheek once.

"I don't understand why you felt the need to hide from me all this time, Jess. If you trusted me so much..."

She sighed deeply and swallowed hard. "There's so much more to this story, Sam."

"Then tell me," he said pleadingly.

She nodded her head in agreement. "I will. But I'm not explaining myself twice."

He nodded knowingly. "I'll go get Bobby and Dean."

She watched Sam leave with ambivalence. She didn't want to tell them anything, but she had no choice now. She felt a slight relief that she was finally getting a chance to explain herself. But at the same time, she knew they were going to be upset, disappointed, and possibly even angry with her. She could only hope that after all was said and done, she would still have a family.

**A/N: Well, the secret is finally out. It seems she has a long explanation ahead of her. What do you think they'll be most surprised about? The baby? Or the fact she was allowing Crowley to help her?**

**I just finished writing the next chapter, so it should be up within the week.**

**Thanks for reading!**

She picked up her glass of milk and drank it down while she was waiting for the inevitable.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Jessie had just placed her glass of milk back on the table when the three men walked back into the house. Dean sat in the same chair he'd occupied before leaving, while Bobby sat in the chair beside him, and Sam sat down on the couch beside Jessie.

"I'm ready to explain myself," she said, folding her hands on her lap nervously. "But I need you to keep your comments until the end."

Everyone, except Dean, shook their heads in agreement.

She sighed loudly, trying to think of where to begin. While she was thinking, Sam placed a supportive hand on her hands, which had the complete opposite effect that he'd intended, it made her feel guilty instead.

She glanced at Dean, then Bobby, before beginning. "I found out I was pregnant the night we left Vegas. I didn't even suspect it until that night. It was something that Dean had said to Sam that put two and two together for me. So I took a test to confirm it."

"Is that why you wanted to leave Vegas so quickly?" Dean interrupted, his look said he was irritated.

If this was a different situation, she might have found it amusing how he seemed to still be upset about leaving Vegas early. But there was nothing humorous about this situation.

"Yes," she replied without hesitation. "It's also the reason why I needed some time alone at my house afterwards."

"What did you do while you were at home?" Bobby asked, wanting to move the story along.

She gazed at Sam sadly, apologetically before speaking. "At first I did a lot of crying, and thinking. Then I looked up some abortion clinics. But when I called one I realized I couldn't go through with something like that. I've killed a lot of things, but..." She trailed off for a moment, trying to ignore the surprised looks on the men's faces before going on. "Since I couldn't go through with that solution, I decided to go to the doctor and find out how far along I was." She glanced at Dean for a moment. "I had to make sure I knew who the father was, since there was a very tiny chance it wasn't Sam's." Dean squirmed around in his seat uncomfortably, while Bobby and Sam shifted their gaze slightly. "Well, there's no need to worry because I was only about three months along. There's no chance it's anyone but Sam's."

"That's good," Dean said awkwardly, unable to keep himself from saying it out loud.

She found it difficult not to grin just slightly at his discomfort. "So, while I was happy the baby was Sam's and it seemed pretty healthy, I was ready to get into my car and head to Bobby's when Crowley showed up."

"So you did talk to Crowley that day Cas stopped by?" Bobby said in an accusatory tone.

"Yes," she replied, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"What did he want?" he asked, urging her to continue.

"Well, he doesn't like to give me a straight answer, but, he wanted to let me know what Meg was after."

"And what was she after?"

"Not was, is," she replied with a sigh. "She wants the baby."

"What?" Sam said in disbelief. "What could she possibly want with a baby?"

She gazed at him sadly, apologetically. She knew he was going to feel guilty when he heard the truth. But she had no choice.

"Not _a_ baby, Sam. _Your_ baby."

"My baby?" he asked, slightly taken aback. "Why would she want my baby? I don't understand."

She swallowed hard. "I didn't understand at first either. Like I said, Crowley likes to jerk me around. That day he was being rather cryptic, but he gave me a hint." She paused for a moment to remember. "It took me awhile to figure it out and I wasn't sure I was right."  
>"But you were right?" Dean asked impatiently. He was getting tired of listening to her story and just wanted the answers. But his impatience earned him scornful looks from both Bobby and his brother.<p>

She nodded her head in response, but decided to continue with her story.

"You're not gonna like the rest of this," she said as she gazed at Sam, then quickly at Bobby and back again. "But the next time I saw Crowley was after the werewolf case. He, uh, actually saved my life." The three men looked at her with shock. "I managed to make it back to my motel room, but I was hurt much worse than I knew. I passed out and woke up later in a pool of blood. It's the last thing I remember until I woke up in the hospital."

"He brought you to the hospital?" Dean asked. "I find that hard to believe."

She snorted. "I did, too. But that's what happened. He was waiting for me when I woke up."

"Hold on," Bobby interrupted. "You haven't made a deal with the S.O.B. have you?"

"No! Hell no!" she protested loudly.

"Then why the hell would he help you like that?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm getting to that," she replied quickly. "He told me I was lucky that Meg hadn't found me, so I imagine she'd been snooping around. Like I said, I get no straight answers from him. He even brought my car to me when I was leaving the hospital." The men glanced around in shock and surprise again. "He asked me one important question before I kicked him outta my car. Was I willing to do anything to protect my child. I didn't know the answer to that then." She removed one of her hands from under Sam's and placed it on her belly. "But I do now."

"Where exactly did hiding from everyone who cares about you come in?" Bobby asked with disappointment.

"And you never explained why he wants my baby?" Sam chimed in.

She nodded her head before glancing down at her belly for a few moments. When she looked up again she was looking frightened.

"I wouldn't have hidden from you if I didn't think I had something to worry about," she began to explain. "At first, I thought Crowley was lying to me.." she trailed off for a moment.

"But now you don't?" Bobby asked.

She shook her head. "The reason everyone is so interested in Sam's baby is, because of the demon blood running through its veins."

"What?!" they all exclaimed in unison.

"I know, you're wondering what that means. I did, too," she said, gazing at Sam apologetically. "The demons believe that Sam's child would have some sort of abilities akin to those of an anti-christ."

He glanced away looking uncomfortable.

Jessie turned her hand over and squeezed his in support. She knew he'd be upset by the news. He hated being reminded about the demon blood, it made him feel like a freak. And she wasn't sure how he felt about a baby. But she knew he'd be upset for marring it with the same curse that he bore.

"That still doesn't explain why you've been hiding from us, young lady," Bobby said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You know that we would protect you from the demons."

She glanced at him furtively. "It's not the demons I'm afraid of, Bobby."

He glanced at her in confusion.

She sighed, knowing exactly what he was going to think.

"Okay, before I tell you. I want you to know that pretty much everything I know came from Crowley."

"And you trust him?" Dean asked with surprise.

"Not at all. Unlike other people I know, I don't trust any demon. Including him," she replied, glancing at each of them in turn. "I may have taken his advice, but I don't trust him. Not when he's yet to tell me why he's been helping me out."

"Isn't that obvious?" Dean asked. "He wants you to keep your guard down so he can swoop in and get his hands on the baby."

She began to chuckle in disbelief. "He knows I'm not stupid enough to fall for that, Dean."

"Then why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know his exact motive. But I do know why he wants the baby kept away from Meg." She waited for a moment to see if anyone would interrupt. "Meg wants the baby so she can break Lucifer from his cage."

"What?!" the three men said in surprise.

"And that's the last thing Crowley wants to happen."

"But I don't understand something," Bobby said with suspicion. "Why wouldn't he just kill you and get it over with? Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

"I've asked him the very same thing many times, Bobby. He never gives me a straight answer."

Everyone was silent for a few moments pondering everything.

"Jessie," Sam said, squeezing her hand and smiling supportively. "You said it wasn't the demons you're afraid of. Then who?"

She gazed into his eyes, trying her best to keep the fear from them. Just the thought of saying it aloud frightened her. This was what she'd been dreading to tell them. She felt him squeeze her hand tighter as it began to shake slightly.

"Angels," was all she could manage to stammer.

"Angels? Really?" Dean snorted in disbelief.

Both Sam and Bobby glanced at him in anger, calling his name.

She shook her head angrily, wrenching her hand free of Sam's and stood up dramatically. "I knew you wouldn't understand!" she shrieked, before attempting to walk away. But Sam stood up quickly, grabbing her by her arm and pulling her close.

"Why are you afraid of the angels, Jess?" he asked sympathetically. "How could they possibly be worse than demons?"

She gazed into his eyes fearfully. "I know what you're gonna say," she replied breathlessly. "You're gonna say Crowley is lying. But I know he's not."

"Jessie, please," he pleaded calmly, his eyes filled with concern. "Just tell us what's going on."

She took a few deep breaths in and out, swallowing hard before she could go on. "If they find out about the baby, they'll kill both of us."

He gazed at her with fear and sadness, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"You're not seriously buying this?" Dean said in disbelief. "Since when are the angels the bad guys?"

Jessie wrenched free of Sam's protective grip, glaring at Dean furiously. "Just because your boyfriend Cas is an angel does _not_ mean that they wouldn't kill me or my baby!"

"Jessie," Sam called gently as he reached out for her.

"No, Sam," she said as she pulled farther away, turning to glare at Dean. "This isn't your life we're talking about! This is _my_ life and my baby's life! Sam's baby!" She was practically seething by now. "Crowley may be a demon and untrustworthy, but I guarantee you he's not lying about this!"

"You need to calm down," Sam whispered to her gently, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her close. She turned to gaze at him with frustration, she hated to be told to calm down, but the instant he laid his other hand on her extended belly, she understood his motivation. It took her a moment to relax, but with his tender touch, she was finally able to.

"Jessie," Bobby called, making everyone turn to face him. "What could Crowley possibly have said to you to convince you that the angels would want you and the baby dead?"

She gazed at him intently. "Obviously you remember Jesse the anti-christ?" she asked rhetorically. All three men nodding in response. "The angels wanted him dead."

"But Cas let him go," Dean interrupted, earning him dirty looks from everyone.

"But, he didn't want to. And if you hadn't given him a chance to escape, then he probably would have," she replied.

"That's reaching, Jessie."

She snorted in disbelief. "Ah, so blind," she said as she shook her head.

He narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "Fine. Let's play devil's advocate."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Bad choice of words, Dean."

He rolled his eyes in response. "Let's just say they do want you dead. Why not just the baby? Why you as well?"

She averted her eyes, trying not to look at anyone, especially Sam. She knew he wasn't going to like the answer. But he needed to know, despite wanting to spare him from the pain.

"Well, because, they, uh, could kill the baby, but, as long as I'm with Sam I could just end up pregnant again," she said sadly. "They'd want to stop it from happening once and for all."

Sam began shaking his head in denial, his eyes full of sadness. "No. They couldn't. They wouldn't."

"They won't, Sam," Dean said with confidence. "You forget where she heard all of this from. Crowley. How do we know he's not just saying this for shits and giggles?"

Bobby had been listening quietly, mulling over everything in his head. He didn't trust Crowley as far as he could throw him, but, he had to admit that everything Jessie had told them was entirely plausible. He didn't trust angels either. And where Jessie was concerned, he would rather err on the side of caution, than take any chances that something might happen to her.

"Enough, Dean," Bobby chimed in, before an argument could start. "I don't care who said what. All I care is that Jessie is safe. So for now, we keep our mouths shut. And no talking to any angels. Even Cas."

He looked at him defiantly for a moment before backing down. "Fine."

Jessie shot Bobby a grateful smile, before turning around slightly to face Sam. Gazing up into his eyes she smiled lightly. "I'm tired. I'm going upstairs to have a nap."

He smiled lovingly, brushing his thumb across her cheek, kissing her on the forehead. "Have a good rest."

She nodded to Bobby and Dean as she swept from the room and up the stairs, moving much more quietly when she made it to the top of the stairs. She stopped for a moment to see if she could hear what they were saying, but they were speaking too softly. So she continued on to her bedroom, climbing into her bed and snuggling under the covers.

As tired as she was, sleep was elusive. This was not how she had planned for her day to go. She'd planned on working on her car for half the day, then having a quiet evening watching TV. She definitely hadn't wanted any visitors—as happy as she was to see them—or have to explain everything that had been going on with her. She knew they were all terribly disappointed in her. But she hoped they would get over that quickly. Everything she'd done was to protect the life of her unborn child. If she wasn't so terrified, she never would've kept the secret from them so long. She could only hope they would understand where she was coming from. When she was finished justifying her actions to herself, she finally dozed off.

As soon as Jessie was upstairs, Sam sat back on the couch with his head in his hands. He was feeling so many things at once, he didn't know what to think. He'd been angry with his wife for hiding for so long. But at the same time he was happy to see her again. He was glad she was safe, he'd missed her terribly. The surprise of being pregnant was what really threw him. It was the last thing he'd expected. Never in a million years would he have imagined that. He'd honestly thought she'd decided to leave him, but was too afraid to tell him the truth. Dean had told him it had to be something else, but he hadn't believed him. He wondered now if even his brother believed it, or he was just trying to be supportive. Thankfully he was wrong, but this situation was way worse than he could have imagined. He didn't know what to believe. But, he did know he would do everything he could do to protect the woman he loves, and his unborn child.

He was running his hands through his hair in frustration when Bobby sat next to him, laying a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"How ya doin' kid?"

He sat up a little straighter, gazing at him with pleading eyes. "I don't know, Bobby."

"You know we're gonna do what we can to keep her safe, right?"

He nodded. "I know. I just hope she's wrong about all of this."

"You and me both."

The room became silent for a few minutes while everyone was deep in thought. However, it wasn't long before Dean couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Sam, what the hell?" he asked with frustration. "Are you gonna forget about the hell she just put you through so easily?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but Bobby interrupted.

"That's enough, Dean!" he warned him. "Whatever happens between the two of them is none of our business."

He stared at him defiantly. "I think you're wrong about that, Bobby."

"He's right, Dean," Sam said. "It's none of your business."

He snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. "She's gonna get you killed, Sammy."

"Wrong again, Dean," he replied with narrowed eyes. "I'm the one who's gonna get her killed." His look had softened slightly, replaced with guilt. "If not for my blood..."

"You can't feel guilty about that," his brother replied. "It's not your fault you have demon blood inside of you."

"No. But it is _my_ fault Jessie's pregnant."

Dean sighed. "You didn't know this could happen, Sam. No one did."

He shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. Meg knew. That's why she was after us to stay together." He stood up and began to wander aimlessly. "Why didn't I listen to Jessie? Why did I push her into a relationship with me? She said it was a bad idea. Why didn't I listen? Why?  
>"Dude," he said firmly. "She loves you. I don't think you could've stopped it if you'd wanted to."<p>

Bobby had been sitting quietly listening to the exchange between the brothers while pondering the situation. He was frightened for Jessie, perhaps even more so than Sam was. As far as he was concerned, she was his daughter, blood or not. But this wasn't just about her, it was also about Sam. And he knew how Sam would feel if something happened to her. He would blame himself, and he wasn't sure what Sam might do. Hell, he didn't even know what he would do. But he knew he didn't want to lose either of them. They were his family.

He stood up, hoping to diffuse a situation before it began. "Boys, what's done is done. Now we're gonna do what we always do—fix this. No one is to blame for any of this." He paused to gaze at Sam. "We need to get our heads into this and forget about blame—or guilt. The demons are already steps ahead of us and we have no idea what they have planned. And with Crowley and Meg working different agendas, it's just gonna be that much messier."

"It's about time we take down Meg and Crowley," Dean said with enthusiasm. "They've been a pain in our asses for way too long."

"That's not gonna solve the angel problem," Sam said.

"If we kill the damn demons they never need to know about the child, Sam."

"And what're we gonna tell Cas when he stops by to visit, Dean?" he asked with venom. "Since he's already involved."

"I don't know," he replied. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

He sighed loudly, shaking his head. "I really hate that saying."

"You and me both, Sammy," he mumbled quietly.

"That settles it," Bobby said with finality. "We tell Cas nothing. And we kill every demon we can get our hands on. Did I leave anything out?"

"Nope," Dean said with an intense look.

Sam felt there was so much that was left out. Like how he was going to deal with a baby. Or more immediately, how he was going to deal with a very pregnant wife. But he nodded quickly in agreement with his brother, then began mulling things around in his head. He had no idea how he was going to deal with everything, but he knew he had to figure it out—and soon.

Jessie was lying in bed awake, but she'd yet to open her eyes. She felt that she'd been awakened by something, but she was unsure what it could be since everything seemed quiet. So she kept her eyes closed for a short time, adjusting her position in the bed to get more comfortable, and began pondering the days events in her head.

She was wondering if she'd made a huge mistake telling them everything that had been going on. Well, almost everything. She still had one secret she was keeping to herself that no one else needed to know. It was between her and Crowley, and that's where it needed to stay. She knew no one would understand, but she needed to do everything she could to protect the life of her unborn child. Even if that meant continuously lying to the people she cared about most in the world.

She opened her eyes slowly, trying to adjust them to the darkness. She realized she must have slept several hours since it was now dark. It made her wonder what had been going on while she slept, especially since it was so quiet. And, as if on cue, she heard light footfalls in the hallway by her door. She decided to pretend she was still sleeping. She wasn't really in the mood to speak with anyone so soon after waking. She wanted to do it on her terms, and when she was ready.

There was a light rapping at her door, which she ignored, then the door opened slowly. She listened as the person walked in quietly, closing the door behind them, then became still for a few moments, before walking close to the bed. She knew by the sound of his breathing that it was Sam. She really would've preferred to talk to him when she was a little more alert, but she really didn't have a choice now.

"Jessie," he called quietly, knowing she wasn't sleeping by her uneven breathing.

"Sam," she answered, her voice cracking slightly.

He felt his way to the edge of the bed, sitting down on it gently. "Is it okay if I turn the lamp on?"

She really didn't want the light on. That meant she would have to look him in the eye, and she was afraid of what he was going to say to her.

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly.

He turned the lamp on, moving over on the bed slightly now that he could see properly. He smiled lightly as he noticed her eyes were nothing more than slits because of the bright light. But as her eyes adjusted, she opened them fully, gazing back at him with an awkwardness that he felt as much as she seemed to. He smiled slightly, but it was a warm smile. Despite the anger he'd felt towards her recently, he was happy to see she was safe. And although he was feeling ambivalent about their situation, he was sure they could work it out.

She began to wiggle around a little, trying to get comfortable. He couldn't help but grin at how difficult it seemed to be for her. He didn't know a lot about pregnant women, but he knew she had many months ahead. He couldn't imagine how much more difficult things might be for her by the end of it. When she was done moving around, she was laying on her side, partially supported by her pillows and her arm, while the other arm was draped across her protruding belly.

He resisted the urge to take her hand in his, unsure of how she was feeling towards him at the moment. He didn't want to push her.

"Did you have a good sleep?" he asked.

She smiled slightly. "Once I got comfortable, yes."

He had a million questions running through his head, but there were so many it was difficult to settle on just one. But eventually he settled on an easy one, or at least he thought.

"How are you feeling?"

She smiled with mild amusement. "I'm fine, Sam. But is that what you really wanted to ask me?"

He grinned slightly and shook his head. He should've known she wouldn't make it easy on him, she never did. It was part of the reason he loved her.

"Of course, I want to know how you're doing," he replied awkwardly.

She smiled once again in amusement. "I'm not gonna break you know. If you have something to say to me, just say it. Then we can talk about everything else."

He ran his fingers through his hair, smiling with slight amusement, yet completely frustrated. He sighed once, taking on a more serious look.

"I'm sorry, Jessie."  
>She gazed at him with confusion. "What're you sorry for, Sam?"<p>

"You know what," he replied, while she shook her head in response. "For all of this. It's my fault you're in this situation."

"No. Don't you dare blame yourself for this," she said angrily. "This is not your fault."

"Yes, it is, Jess. All of it is," he replied with defiance, raising his hand up when it looked like she was about to interrupt. "It all goes back to the demon blood. Always does."

"That's enough!" she replied furiously. "That's not your fault. And neither is getting me pregnant. If anyone's to blame it's both of us." This time she raised her hand when he was about to interrupt. "I don't want to hear that again. Got it?" He nodded his head once in agreement. "Good. Now that we've established that, we can talk about something else."

It didn't matter what she said to him, he still blamed himself. And no matter what she said, or anyone else, he would always feel the same way. It was his fault. If he had kept away from her like she'd wanted, she wouldn't have a death sentence hanging over her head. But he was bound and determined to make sure nothing happened to her, or their child.

"Anything?" he asked.

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Of course. I think I owe you."

He eyes darted around for a moment nervously. "Is there anything else you're keeping from us?"

She knew there was one thing, but there was nothing he could say or do to make her come clean about it.

"Not intentionally, no."

"And what does that mean exactly?" he asked suspiciously.

She pushed the blanket aside and brought herself up into a sitting position with the pillows behind her back to support herself.

"It means, I'm pretty sure I've told you everything, Sam," she said, lying her hand on his knee. "But I might've forgotten something. My mind isn't what it used to be."

He looked at her with confusion, grinning slightly.

"Hey! It's not funny," she teased. "Pregnancy does all kinds of crazy things to a woman's body."

He smiled, placing his hand on the hand she had on his knee. "Have you been seeing a doctor?"

She smiled at his concern. "Yes. I just had an appointment a few days ago."

He was quiet for a moment, looking uncomfortable, but he continued to smile. "And how is everything?"

"Everything's fine," she replied with a smile. "I'm finally able to feel the baby kicking."

"That must be...cool," he replied awkwardly.

She giggled. "This is making you uncomfortable, isn't it?"

"Uh, um, maybe just a little," he replied apologetically.

"It's okay, Sam. I've had almost three months to get used to this," she replied supportively. "I wouldn't expect you to get used to this so quickly."

He smiled slightly in amusement at the awkwardness of the situation. He felt that he should be supporting her, and here she was trying to do that for him. He found he couldn't even remember everything he'd wanted to say to her before he entered the room.

"I wanna show you something," she said as she took his hand and placed it on her belly, repositioning it until she was satisfied with where it was. "Can you feel it?"

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel, but whatever it was, he didn't feel it. That was until she pushed his hand down much more firmly. Then he felt something faintly moving underneath his hand.

"I can feel it," he replied, smiling brightly with excitement.

She smiled at him adoringly, brushing her thumb across the back of his hand.

"I have an ultrasound appointment in two days. Do you wanna come with me?" she asked. "I'm gonna find out if it's a boy or a girl."

"Of course I wanna go with you," he said as he removed his hand from her belly, entwining his fingers with hers.

She smiled, squeezing his hand gently. "So, you're okay with all of this?"

"Surprisingly, yeah," he replied with a giddy grin.

"I always knew you were a little crazy," she teased with a grin, chuckling as he pretended to be offended. "But on a more serious note—I really need to pee."

He laughed for a moment before he climbed out of the bed, reaching his hand out to her and helped her to her feet.

"I'll meet you downstairs," he said, pulling her closely and kissing her lightly on the forehead.

She smiled up at him. "Yeah, great."

He smirked. "It'll be fine. The worst is over."

She smiled to appease him, but she wasn't so sure. She knew Dean was angry with her, and Bobby was disappointed. She didn't think the worst was over. In fact, she knew it was just beginning.

**A/N: Well, the cat's outta the bag so to speak. Was it what you were expecting? How do you think they're gonna deal with it? And what about Crowley? What do you think his motive is? And what's gonna happen when Cas makes a reappearance? And the secret she's keeping from them. What do you think that's all about? *wink***

**Thanks for reading!**


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Jessie hesitated outside of the bathroom for a short time before she finally sucked up enough courage to walk down the stairs into the livingroom. Dean was sitting on the couch watching TV. He glanced up at her before he turned back quickly to the program he was watching. She'd expected him to say something, anything. But then she noticed he was watching Dr. Sexy, which made her giggle quietly. She knew he wasn't going to interrupt watching his favorite show just to say something to her. He would save it for later. Since Bobby and Sam were absent, she figured they were in the kitchen so that's where she headed.

When she walked into the kitchen, the first thing she noticed was a plate of food sitting at her spot at the table. She glanced quickly at both Sam and Bobby, who were sitting on either side of her spot, giving each of them a grateful smile. She was hungry. That was all she really wanted to worry about at the moment.

"We figured you'd be hungry," Sam said with a smile as he pulled her chair out for her.

She grinned at him before sitting down in the chair. "I could get used to service like this," she teased.

"Well don't," he replied with a teasing grin.

"I guess you're feeling better after your nap," Bobby said.

She wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement, but she decided to answer him any way.

"Much better."

He stood up from his chair quickly, gazing at her with a concerned look. "When you're done eating, I want you to come into the livingroom so we can discuss a few things."

She nodded, which he took as his response, sweeping from the room quickly.

"What's that all about, Sam?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

She raised her eyebrow in suspicion but didn't call him on it. She suspected he knew more about what Bobby wanted to speak about than he was letting on. However, after all she'd done lately, she figured it was best not to rock the boat. Instead, she pushed it into the back of her mind and began eating her dinner.

The silence in the kitchen felt awkward to her as she ate her dinner. Sam didn't seem to want to discuss anything and she really had no idea what to say to him. She hoped that this was something that would only be temporary. She understood it. But she didn't like it at all.

When she was finished eating, she gathered up her dishes, rinsed them in the sink, stacking them neatly on the counter with the rest of them. She really wanted to clean them now so she could avoid whatever it was Bobby wanted to talk to her about. But somehow she knew that wasn't going to work. He would just come into the kitchen and tell her off. So she decided to get it over with and head into the livingroom.

Sam followed behind her wordlessly as she walked into the livingroom. She took a seat on the couch in front of her foot stool, while Sam sat beside her. She glanced uneasily at Dean and Bobby, who were both sitting in the same spots they had occupied earlier.

Bobby cleared his throat lighty, gazing at her intently. "The three of us have discussed your demon and angel problem and we've come to a few decisions." He paused, expecting her to react, but she sat quietly listening to him, not even looking at him defensively like he'd expected. He didn't know whether to be relieved or saddened. She didn't even seem to be the same person she'd been less than three months ago.

"First things first though," he said, preparing for her disagreement. "You, young lady, are not going to be leaving my sight."

"What?!" she replied with dismay, sitting up straighter in her seat.

"You heard me right."

"No, that's not happening," she stated adamantly. "I'm not staying at your house indefinitely."

"And why not?"

She snorted. "Do I look like a cripple, old man? I'm not. I can still hunt."

He opened his mouth to respond, but Dean beat him to it.

"Coulda fooled me."

"Shut up, Dean!" she snapped. "I might be pregnant but that doesn't mean I can't shoot a gun, or at the very least research." She raised her hand when she thought he was going to interrupt. "My last hunt was only a week ago. What did you think I was doing all this time? Sitting on my ass doing nothing?"

"I never—"  
>"Enough!" Bobby boomed. "This isn't getting us anywhere."<p>

"You went hunting in this condition?" Sam asked her with surprise.

She shook her head in frustration. "Why does everyone think I'm useless because I'm pregnant? As long as I keep in shape, there's no reason I can't do most of the things I normally do."

"Well I have a good question," Dean said, shrinking slightly as everyone glanced at him sternly. "If you're so afraid of the demons and angels, why leave the house at all?

She glared at him shrewdly as everyone turned their gaze towards her.

"First of all, _Dean_," she replied with venom. "Don't you think my house would be the first place they would look for me? And secondly, I'm not about to let _anyone_ keep me a prisoner."

"Okay, that's enough," Sam said as he glared at his brother, before he placed a supportive hand on his wife's knee.

Bobby nodded. "Jess, it's not that we think you're useless. We just don't have any experience with pregnant women."

She grinned lightly as she noticed the look of unease on his face. "I guess you're gonna have to learn quickly, won't ya?"

He rolled his eyes lightly, trying to hide exactly how uncomfortable he was. "Can you at least agree to be with one of us at all times?"

She was slightly annoyed by his overprotectiveness, but at the same time, it made her feel loved. So, instead of becoming more defensive, she reverted back to her old way—sarcasm.

"Do I need a chaperone in the bathroom, too?" she asked with a grin. "As big as I'm getting I could always use some help wiping my ass."

Sam snickered, thinking that the comment is something his brother would have said if he was in the same situation. Dean and Bobby on the other hand, looked completely flabbergasted.

She laughed lightly, even while Bobby looked at her with displeasure.

"I promise to stay with either you, or Sam and Dean," she replied with conviction.

"Good. Then we can move on," he said with relief.

She relaxed slightly, hoping that the worst was over.

"The demon and angel issue is a little more complicated, but we've made a few decisions about that as well," he said, pausing for a moment to see if she'd interrupt. When she didn't, he continued. "As far as the demons are concerned, we're gonna hunt as many of them as we can find. And since Cas is the only angel we know. We've decided to refrain from speaking to him."

"And if he pops up?"

"I don't see a need to worry, Jess. He shouldn't suspect anything. Unless he's been talking to demons."

She couldn't be as confident as he seemed to be, but she did trust him. She would take his word for it, unless something happened to prove him wrong.

"Okay," she replied tersely.

He raised his eyebrow just slightly in suspicion. He had expected a little more resistance from her. He wasn't quite sure what to think about her behaviour, but he was going to keep as close an eye on her as he could.

"I think I covered it all," he said after a moments hesitation. "So if there's nothing else...me and Dean are gonna be heading out now."

She narrowed her eyes in confusion. "You mean you're not staying?"

"We've decided to let you and Sam have some time together."

Initially she beamed at his response, until she realized what the implications were. As much as she'd been dreaming of the moment she could be with Sam again, she was a little nervous about it. She thought she was being silly since he'd been great about everything. But as understanding as he'd been so far, she wasn't sure how he might act when they were completely alone.

She expected some sort of goodbye from Bobby, but he only stood up quickly and left. She wasn't sure if he was angry with her, or just upset, but she didn't like it. She didn't know how she was going to make it up to him, but she had to try. Of all the people in the world, he was the one she hated to disappoint.

Dean followed after him almost as quickly with barely a goodbye to either his brother or herself. She knew he was upset with her, but at this point in time she didn't care. She could only wonder why he seemed to be so short with his brother. She really hoped it had nothing to do with her, although she suspected it probably was. And if that was the case, she was going to have to do something about it eventually. She had promised never to become a bone of contention between the brothers, and she didn't like breaking promises.

While she was busy pondering things, Sam moved closer, wrapping his arm around her. When he didn't feel any resistance, he carefully pulled her close, lying her head on his chest.

"Do you know how much I missed you, Jessie?" he asked her quietly. "You can't imagine how scared I was that something had happened to you."

She pulled her head back slighty, gazing into his eyes. It hurt to see the pain inside them knowing it was completely her fault. She only wished she could take the pain away as easily as she had caused it.

"I missed you too, Sam," she replied, her voice cracking because she was on the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you."

"I know you are," he said as he brushed her face lightly with his fingertips. "I just wish you could've found another way."

"Are you angry?"

He frowned for a moment, his brow furrowing. "I was."

"But you're not anymore?"

"No," he replied honestly. "But Bobby is still hurt. And Dean, well, he's still pretty pissed."

She laid her head back on his chest, closing her eyes to fight back the tears that were threatening. "I'm really am sorry, Sam. I didn't know what to do. I felt lost. And the more time that passed. The harder it became to even think about telling you."

He sighed. "I understand. But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

She closed her eyes tighter, trying to fight back the tears from what he'd said. The pain and the guilt hurt her so badly. After a few moments she attempted to pull away from him, but he held her tightly, refusing to let her slip from his grasp.

"Sam, please?" she begged.

"I finally got you back. I'm not letting go of you again so easily," he replied quietly.

She opened her tear filled eyes, glancing up at him apologetically. "Maybe you should. Maybe it would be for the best. That way I can't hurt you again."

He gazed at her ruefully. "That would be the easy way out. And I don't like taking the easy way out. " He lifted his hand, brushing hair from the side of her face, his thumb tracing lines on her cheek. "Besides, I think I'm a masochist," he said with a grin.

She shook her head in disbelief, but couldn't help cracking a smile. "So that's it, huh?"

He smiled. "No. I just wanted to see you smile."

She lifted her hand, brushing his cheek lightly. "I haven't really had a reason to smile lately."

"Then I'll give you one," he said with a loving smile.

She smiled and closed her eyes, as he gently pulled her face close, kissing her lips slowly. He only kissed her for a few moments, pulling away so he could gaze upon her face.

"Why did you stop?" she asked as she opened her eyes.

He smiled tenderly, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "It's been so long since I've seen you. I just want to enjoy the moment."

She smiled brightly, tears of joy forming in her eyes. "I love you so much, Sam."

He carefully wiped a tear that fell from her eye. "I love you, too, Jessie."

She smiled happily as he leaned in to kiss her again, more joyful tears falling from her eyes. It had been so long since she'd been with him, she wanted him now. But she wanted to take her time, savour the moment while she could. She didn't know when the next time she would be alone with him like this again would be. For all she knew, this could be the last. After all, there was a price on her head.

Sam kissed her softly for a short time before making his way down to her neck, sliding his hands up her shirt. Abruptly, he pulled away glancing at her with surprise.

"What?" she asked with a look of confusion.

He hesitated for a moment, grinning widely. "Your breasts have gotten bigger."

She rolled her eyes lightly and chuckled. "Yeah. Sometimes that happens during pregnancy."

"Oh," he replied, suddenly looking concerned. "Is it okay to, uh, you know, while you're pregnant?"

She tried to stifle a laugh, but she couldn't hold it back for long, howling with laughter.

"What's so funny?" he asked, feeling insulted.

"Oh, Sam," she said with a grin. "You're just too adorable sometimes."

"And now you're teasing me."

She giggled lightly, although she was trying not to.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I just never realized how little you knew about pregnancy."

He raised an eyebrow slightly. "And how much did you know?"

"Enough to know a pregnant woman can have sex."

He frowned slightly wearing a serious look. "I just didn't want to hurt you, Jess."

Her grin quickly changed to a tender smile.

"I know, Sam," she replied quietly. "You won't hurt me."

He smiled lovingly, brushing his fingers on her cheek lightly, eliciting a long sigh of pleasure from her.

"Maybe we should go upstairs, Sam," she suggested. "The couch is a little uncomfortable for me."

He smiled in response, slowly wiggling himself free of her grasp. As he stood, he offered his hand to her, easing her up from the couch carefully. Wrapping his arms around her firmly, he smiled brightly and whispered, "You're so beautiful."

"I don't feel it," she replied.

"Well, trust me. You are," he whispered into her ear.

She sighed with contentment, gazing at him with loving eyes. "I missed you so much, Sam."

"Shhhh," he said as he placed a finger on her lips. "You don't need to tell me. Just show me."

She smiled, removing herself from his grasp and took his hand, allowing him to lead her upstairs.

Jessie awakened several hours later with a heavy urge to pee. The problem was, she didn't want to break free of Sam's sleeping embrace. It was the first time in months she'd truly felt warm, safe and loved, and she definitely didn't want it to end. However, she couldn't really wait much longer. She wiggled around until she broke free of his grasp. But as she attempted to stand, she felt his hand grasp hers.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a raspy voice.

"I just have to use the bathroom. I'll be right back," she promised.

He hesitated before he pulled his hand away, allowing her to climb out of the bed, hurrying down the hallway to use the bathroom. When she made it back to the bedroom, Sam was sitting up in the bed with a lamp on.

"You didn't have to get up," she said as she climbed back into the bed, sitting up beside him.

He wrapped an arm around her pulling her close, kissing her lightly on the lips. "I know. I just wanted to see your face. To make sure I wasn't dreaming."

She frowned slightly, looking guilty.

"Hey," he said, gently grasping her on either side of her face, gazing at her intently. "It's done, Jessie. I'm over it. I don't want you to worry about it anymore. Okay?"

She shook her head in agreement, although her eyes didn't reflect that.

"Jessie—"

"I'm sorry, Sam. I can't pretend I didn't hurt you."

"I didn't ask you to forget. But I've forgiven you," he replied sincerely.

"I know. But maybe you shouldn't have."

"Let's not do this again," he said with a frown. "Life is too damn short."

She averted her gaze. "Is that it? Is that why you forgave me so easily? You're afraid there isn't much time left for me?"

"Don't you say that," he snapped. "Don't you ever say that, Jess."

"But it's the truth, right?" she asked as she turned to gaze into his eyes again. "You're afraid you're gonna lose me for good?"

He glanced down for a moment before he met her eyes once again. "Fine. Yes. I am."

"So that's what this is, Sam?" she asked with sorrow.

He shook his head and sighed in frustration. "Absolutely not. I love you, Jess. Even when I was upset and angry I still loved you. I just had no idea why you didn't seem to feel the same."

She gazed down in shame for a moment, closing her eyes to fight back tears. When she gazed back up at him, her eyes were wet. "I love you more than life itself, Sam. I just—"

He pulled her close, kissing her fervently. He wanted her again so badly, but he felt her hesitation when he slid his hand between her thighs.

"I'm sorry," he said breathlessly as he moved his hand to her waist. "I didn't mean to get so carried away."

She smiled with a mixture of amusement and happiness. "It's okay, Sam. I'm still recovering from a few hours ago." She smiled coyly, running her hand up his leg to stop on his enlarged member. "But, I can help you out if you want me to."

He sighed in pleasure as she began slowly rubbing her hand up and down his shaft in a stroking motion. But this wasn't what he wanted, no matter how good it felt at the moment. So he called her name with a huge grin on his face, then reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her hand away.

"I'd rather wait until later, if you'll be up for it," he said with a seductive smile.

"After we sleep a little longer?" she asked, waiting for his nod. "I think I could be persuaded."

He smiled as he quickly turned the lamp off and laid his head down on the pillows, waiting for her to lay down beside him. It took her a few moments to maneuver herself so her back was towards him, but when she finally did manage it, he wrapped his arm around her, his hand laying on her belly. He absentmindedly rubbed her belly lightly until they both dozed off.

A few hours later, Jessie woke up to find Sam was already awake and waiting for her. She apologized to him, before she ran to the bathroom. When she returned, she was as good as her word. She climbed into the bed and they made love for a short time. When they were finished, both of them jumped in the shower, then went into the kitchen for coffee and breakfast.

They were sitting in the livingroom watching the noon hour news, when Sam asked what she wanted to do for the day, since he'd explained earlier that they weren't heading to Bobby's until the next day—after her doctors appointment.

"I'd like to go into town and see Mike."

"You're not gonna kick his ass or anything, are you?"

She looked at him with confusion. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Uh, oh, nothing," he stammered uncomfortably. "I just thought, uh, I don't know."

"Spill it, Sam," she said as she narrowed her eyes.

He sighed, knowing she wasn't going to give up without the truth. "I just thought you knew he was the one who sent Bobby here to find you."

"No. I didn't know that," she replied, crossing her arms in irritation.

"Then why?"

"Well, he doesn't know I'm pregnant. I just wanted to tell him in person," she said, uncrossing her arms. "But now, I'm also gonna kick his ass."

He couldn't help but grin, knowing she would never hurt Mike, regardless of what she said.

After the news was over, they headed out to the barn to get Jessie's car, but she'd forgotten she had to finish what she'd been working on when Bobby had interrupted her.

"Would you like some help?" Sam asked as she leaned over the car, looking under the hood.

She was silent for a few moments before she looked at him with a grin. "No. I think I can handle this."

"You sure?" he asked with concern. "You look awfully uncomfortable leaning over the car like that."

She smiled thankfully. "I'm not gonna lie and say it isn't uncomfortable, Sam. But, I don't want you touching my car."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to say, "whatever." Instead, he said nothing. Deciding to stay silent and assist her if she asked for his help.

It only took her twenty minutes to do what she needed to do, with no assistance from Sam. She even managed to keep her clothes clean. And once she'd put the hood down, she tossed Sam the keys, which he almost dropped since he hadn't been expecting her to do that.

He was going to ask why she wanted him to drive, but he decided it was better not to ask. It wasn't often she allowed him to drive her car, so he kept his mouth shut.

When they arrived at Frank's bar, Jessie grabbed Sam's hand before he could climb out of the car. He looked at her with confusion and curiosity, but she was silent for a few moments longer.

"You have to walk in before me, Sam," she began to explain. "I don't want Mike to see me right away."

He smiled in response before climbing out of the car. He was going to walk around and help her out of the car, but surprisingly, she was standing next to him almost as soon as he exited the car. He hadn't realized how quick she still was, but he should have expected it, since she had already told him not much had changed.

He headed into the bar with Jessie close behind him. As tall as he was, no one would even know she was there if they glimpsed him head on. Even with her protruding belly, she was still able to hide behind him easily, since most of the weight she was carrying was in the front.

Once they were standing in front of the bar, she walked out from behind Sam since the bar height kept her belly hidden. She could hear Mike whistling in the back, so she knew he was here. She was going to wait to see if he noticed them standing there, instead, she decided to call his name. She didn't need to surprise him, he was already going to be surprised when he saw the state she was in.

"Jessie! Sam!" he exclaimed with excitement as he walked through the door behind the bar. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to see you, ya nut," she replied affectionately. "Now come gimme a hug."

He smiled, walking to the end of the bar, stopping short the moment he walked around and glimpsed her extended belly.

"Oh my god, you're pregnant!" he yelled as he ran towards her, hugging her tightly.

His bright smile made her smile, but it didn't stop her from slapping him across the face.

"That's for calling Bobby."

He raised his hand to cover his cheek, however, he was still smiling. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

She narrowed her eyes, but she was still smiling. "I know you would."

He stepped back a step, holding his hand out to Sam. "Congratulations!"

He shook his hand with a bright, but awkward, smile. "Yeah, thanks."

Mike turned back to Jessie, shooting her a suspicious look. He knew her well enough to know when something was wrong. It was the reason he had called Bobby in the first place. He suspected the pregnancy was to blame, since it was the only thing that seemed to have changed between the couple.

"Would it be okay if I stole your wife from you for a few minutes?" he asked Sam.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, sure."

He shot her a knowing look then began walking behind the bar. She followed him behind the bar and into the back room, not stopping until they reached the office.

"Jessie. What's going on?" he asked with concern.

She shook her head before she turned and closed the office door.

"I can't say much out loud," she replied, reaching into the inside pocket of her jacket and pulled out an envelope. "There is a letter in there for you to read, and, also another letter in another envelope. That's only to read in the event of my death."

His look of concern turned to one of shock and dismay. "What's going on, Jessie?"

She shook the letter at him until he finally took it from her.

"My job is dangerous, you know that," she replied, trying her best to sound convincing.

"Something else is going on. Don't try and play me for a fool either," he said anxiously. "Does this have something to do with Sam? Or maybe the baby?"

She lowered her head, knowing he could read her like a book. "What you need to know is in the letter, Mike. I can't speak about it here."

He took a few tenative steps closer, grasping her upper arms. "Look at me, dammit!" He waited until she finally lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "I can see the fear in your eyes. Why do you think I asked to speak to you privately?"

"You seem to forget that I know you as well," she replied. "That's why I wrote the letter. I knew you'd want to know what's going on."

"And you're not gonna say anything else about it, are you?"

"No."

He shook his head with frustration before pulling her into a tight embrace.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, fighting back tears. She was afraid this would be the last time she might see him, but she would never tell him that. She could feel him trembling slightly so she knew he was probably on the verge of tears as well. She hated that he knew her so well, or she would've lied to him to spare him the pain. She didn't want him to worry about her, although she knew he always did. But this time it was different. She was positive she knew how this was going to end, and nothing she could say would prepare him for it. So she did the next best thing. She wrote him a letter that explained everything she'd want him to know if she died. She knew him well enough to know he would never open it before he was supposed to. This way she wouldn't have to explain everything to him now. She knew she would never be able to.

When she pulled away from the embrace, she noticed a lone tear that had fallen down his face. She wiped it gently with her thumb, smiling at him supportively.

"Everything will be fine, Mike. Sam will take care of me," she said, trying to convince herself as much as she was him.

He nodded his head to reassure her, but he was anything but okay. He knew her too well, and he didn't really know Sam much at all. He wanted to trust everything would be okay. But that wasn't how he felt.

"I guess I better take you back to Sam before he wonders what's going on," he said awkwardly.

She shook her head, knowing he wanted to say more, but she knew he wasn't going to. The look he gave her was more than enough to convey what he was feeling. He was upset and worried, and she couldn't blame him.

Jessie opened the office door and headed back to where Sam was waiting for her. She found him sitting at the bar drinking a soda. He smiled warmly the moment he laid his eyes on her.

"Is everything okay?" he asked as she sat on the stool beside him.

"Yeah."

He turned to her looking concerned. "Are you sure?"

She smiled gratefully, placing her hand on his. "Yes, Sam. I just need something to eat."

"Already done," he replied with a conspiratorial grin. "I knew you'd be hungry."

"Wow, you're good," she teased with a grin. "Now tell me what else I need."

"I bet you need to use the washroom," he said with a grin.

"You're so good you've earned yourself a cookie," she teased.

"Yay," he said as he clapped mockingly.

She smiled and patted him on the back affectionately before she went to use the washroom. When she arrived back at the bar, the food Sam had ordered was waiting for her. While she ate, it was mostly in silence. She was still upset about her talk with Mike, although she didn't want Sam to know. However, she figured that he must have picked up on it, since he was trying his best to keep her in a good mood.

When they were finished eating, they decided it was time to head back home. Jessie made sure she found Mike before they left, hugging him tightly and once again promising she would be careful. As she was leaving, she noticed Mike whisper something to Sam, which made him wrinkle his forehead in thought. She figured she knew what it was about, so she continued her way to the car.

She was sitting in the passenger side when he finally made it to the car. He glanced at her curiously after he shut the door and started the car, but he didn't say anything. And since she wasn't really in the mood to discuss anything, she leaned the seat back and closed her eyes. And although it wasn't her intention, she managed to fall asleep. She didn't wake until after the car had stopped in her driveway.  
>When she opened her eyes, Sam was leaning over her unbuckling the seat belt. He smiled warmly as he offered her his hand, helping her out of the car. They walked hand in hand into the house, sitting down on the couch together. As he wrapped his arm around her, she snuggled up close to him, sighing with contentment.<p>

He began running his fingers through her hair, hoping to relax her. He knew she was upset about something, but he also knew she didn't want to talk about it. And since it didn't seem life threatening, he decided to leave it alone for now. At some point, both of them dozed off, not waking until they became uncomfortable.

"Did you fall asleep, too?" she asked as she stretched out her arms.

"It seems so," he replied with a grin.

"This is probably the most comfortable I've felt sleeping in awhile," she said, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

"This is probably the most I've slept in two months," he said with a warm smile, although it didn't show in his eyes.

She averted her eyes, resisting the urge to apologize to him again. She knew if he hadn't been sleeping it was because of her.

"I'm sorry, Jessie," he said as he gently turned her face towards his. "I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay, Sam. I understand," she replied with a smile. "I don't expect for you to just forget like that."

He smiled as he leaned in and kissed her on the lips lightly. "Why don't we get started on making dinner?"

She glanced at her watch, nodding her head. "Yes. Let's."

The couple spent their evening cooking, cleaning and watching TV, until they went to bed. She wasn't really in the mood for sex. However, she allowed Sam to talk her into it. She wanted the intimacy, since it was the last night she'd get to spend alone with him for awhile. But she was feeling uncomfortable with her belly, especially since the baby was unusually active. But there was a bright side. The exercise helped her fall asleep quickly, despite being constantly kicked by the baby.

Just like the morning before, she woke up before Sam did needing to use the washroom. Only this time, she managed to climb out of bed carefully enough she didn't wake him. She didn't even wake him when she climbed back into bed, not until she snuggled up to him.

"Good morning," he greeted her with a smile, kissing her lightly on the head.

"Good morning to you," she said with an equally bright smile.

"I don't know about you, but I think I need a shower," he said as he stroked her hair.

"Yeah, me too," she said with a grin. "You can help make sure I'm extra clean for my doctors appointment."

He grinned wildly. "It's not exactly what I had in mind."

She snorted, shaking her head in disbelief, although she was smiling in a teasing way.

"You must be some kind of machine, Sam."

His smile quickly disappeared, replaced by a look of concern. "It isn't too much for you, is it?"

She smiled thoughtfully. "No, Sam. I just don't feel up to it as often as I did before."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I'm a big girl, Sam," she replied reassuringly. "If I don't want to I will tell you."

"As long as you do," he replied, not quite convinced.

She sighed, kissing him on the cheek. "Let's just have a shower and eat breakfast."

He nodded in agreement, climbing out of bed quickly enough so he could help her out. And although she didn't need the help, she gladly accepted it. She thought it was a nice change, and she felt like she was being pampered. She knew it wouldn't last, so she thought she would take advantage of it while she could.

After they showered and had breakfast, Jessie began to prepare for her doctors appointment. She had to drink a lot of water, finishing the set amount about an hour before the appointment. And since the trip from her house to her doctors was over an hour away, she needed to start drinking before she left, finishing it while she was in the car.

"You're letting me drive again, huh?" he said teasingly as she handed him the keys.

"Yeah, but don't get too used to it," she replied with a smile. "It's only because I need you to do it, and not because I don't want to."

"Oh, I see how it is," he replied teasingly. "You just let me drive it when you can't, is that it?"

"Yes, that's right," she said narrowing her eyes with a smile. "But you better not forget that she is a she, _not_ an it."

"And here I thought you wouldn't want to share me with another woman," he said with a grin.

She laughed. "You're right, but she's special."

He chuckled, pulling her into a quick embrace, kissing her on the forehead.

"You better get drinking more of that water," he said with a wink. "I'll be out in the car waiting for you."

She playfully stuck her tongue out at him before he turned around and headed out of the house to warm up the car. It had gotten quite cold overnight and she refused to get into it until it was warm. In hindsight, she could see how that might seem demanding, but Sam never once complained about the little things she asked him to do. It made her wonder if maybe she was wrong. Maybe he would make a good father after all. She pushed the pang of guilt that ran through her out of her mind, quickly distracting herself by making sure she had everything she needed from the house. She wasn't sure when she would be back, but, she had a feeling it might not be until after the baby was born, if at all. Once again she had to push bad thoughts from her head, deciding just to hurry to the car. If she forgot something she could always come back, or at the very least, send someone back to get whatever it might be.

Sam smiled brightly as she climbed into the car, waiting until she buckled up before he would even put the car into gear. Of course she would never not wear her seatbelt, but it did make her uncomfortable. She had to make sure the cross strap was between her breasts, and the lap belt was well under her belly.

It wasn't very long before the drive became very uncomfortable for Jessie. She made sure she finished drinking the last of the water that was needed for the upcoming ultrasound and now she had to pee very badly. What made it worse was Sam seemed to manage to hit every single pothole and bump that was on the road, making it that much more unbearable. And although he did his best to keep her distracted, all she could think about was using the washroom the moment the car stopped.

As they pulled into the parking lot of the medical building that Dr. Riley's office was in, she began to feel more than the urge to pee. She also began to feel nervous and anxious. However, she wasn't sure what was making her more anxious. Finding out the sex of the baby, or the fact that Sam was going to be with her. She loved him to death and she was happy he was here to support her, but at the same time it made her more nervous, only she wasn't quite sure why.

She was happy that Sam had parked close to the building. She was afraid if she had to walk too far she would probably wet herself. She almost wished she was getting her ass kicked by some monster than this, it was less painful. She definitely had a new found respect for pregnant women.

The couple walked hand in hand into the waiting room, and after she checked in, Jessie sat in the chair next to Sam glancing around the room nervously. He squeezed her hand from time to time when he noticed she was nervous. She would smile in response, but all she wanted to do was use the washroom. She was at a point past caring about anything but that.

When the nurse called her name, she stood up from the chair following her as quickly as she could. She didn't even look back to see if Sam was following, she just wanted this over with so badly, it was all she could think about.

After the nurse asked her a few routine questions and weighed her, she sat in the room with Sam, waiting for Dr. Riley. It was only a few minutes before he showed up greeting her enthusiastically.

"This must be, Sam," he said as he shook his hand with a jovial smile. "I haven't seen you since you were, well, must shorter than you are now."

"It's nice to see you again," he replied.

The doctor gazed at Jessie approvingly. "It's nice to see you finally have some support."

"Yeah, yeah, can we just get on with this?" she asked impatiently.

The doctor seemed confused for a moment before he smiled. "I'm sorry, my dear. Hop up on the examination table and we'll get things moving."

She didn't hesitate one moment, immediately jumping up from her seat onto the table and pulled her pants under her belly. She smiled at Sam who had come to stand beside her and who now looked as uncomfortable as she felt.

After the doctor washed his hands, he began to prod her stomach gently. When he was finished, he asked Sam if he wanted to hear the heartbeat, who seemed stunned by the question, but nodded his head in agreement.

The doctor pulled out the instrument for listening to the heartbeat, placing cold gel on her belly and turned it on. As he placed it against her skin and began to move it, you could hear the sound of the baby's heartbeat. He moved the instrument around a few times before turning it off and cleaning her belly.

"Sounds good and strong, Jessie," the doctor said as he set the instrument down. "I'll be right back."

She nodded her head before he walked out of the room, then turned to gaze at Sam, who seemed to be in shock.

"Are you okay, Sam?"

"Yeah..."

She smiled and squeezed his hand supportively, but didn't say anything. She knew he was in shock and she wasn't quite sure what to say to him at the moment.

When the doctor returned, she pulled her pants back up and followed him down the hallway into the room where the ultrasound machine was, with Sam close behind. Without his prompting, she climbed onto the seat and pulled her pants below her belly once again, before she directed Sam to stand beside her and took his hand.

"You think that was something, just you wait," she said with a smile.

He returned her smile warmly, however his eyes showed his discomfort.

The doctor adjusted some things on the machine before he rolled his chair up close, once again putting gel on her stomach. He placed the instrument against her skin and began moving it around slowly, stopping once in awhile, sometimes clicking the mouse or typing something. After a few minutes, he turned the monitor around so both parents could see it and then began pointing out the head, back, legs and arms, then printed out a picture for them. Jessie allowed Sam to hold onto the picture, since he seemed mesmerized by it, or maybe he was in shock, she wasn't sure. Either way, it didn't matter. She only wanted to know what the sex of the baby was.

When he was finished with the exam, he told her she was free to use the bathroom, which she didn't waste any time doing. It was the only thing she wanted more than knowing the sex of the baby. But once she had used the washroom and returned to the room, she expected an answer.

"Are you really sure you want to know, Jessie?" the doctor asked as he straightened up the equipment.

"Absolutely."

"And what about you, Sam?" he asked as he turned towards him. "Do you want to know as well?"

He seemed to ponder his answer for a few moments before glancing at his wife with a smile.

"Yes, I do," he replied as he turned his gaze back to the doctor.

Dr. Riley smiled, shifting his gaze to Jessie. "Congratulations. You're having a boy."

She smiled brightly while absentmindedly rubbing her belly. "Thank you so much."

He nodded his head, smiling. "I'll see you back here in a month."

She nodded before standing up and shaking his hand gratefully. It wasn't until he left the room that she turned to Sam with a wild grin.

"We're having a boy," she said in disbelief.

He pulled her into an embrace, smiling. "I couldn't be happier."

She pulled back slightly so she could gaze into his eyes.

"And what if it would've been a girl?"

He smiled, brushing away stray hairs from her face. "I would feel exactly the same."

"Really?" she said in surprise. "To be honest, I don't think I would've been."

"What? Why?"

"I dunno," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I was really hoping for a boy."

"Well, you got your wish," he replied with a gentle smile.

She smiled happily, kissing him once lightly on the lips. "Better than I imagined."

"Good," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. "Now why don't we get something to eat before we head to Bobby's."

"Sounds great," she replied with a smile.

The couple walked hand in hand to the front desk, where Jessie made her next appointment before heading out to the car. They were only feet from the car when a familiar figure stepped out from behind her car wearing a sinister grin.

"Crowley!" Sam yelled furiously, his hand automatically reaching inside his pants for a weapon.

Using his demon powers, he pushed Sam up against the car, immobilizing him.

"I'm not here to speak to you, Moose," he said with a menacing grin. "I'm here to speak with your wife."

She gazed at Sam helplessly before turning to Crowley with an equally menacing gaze.

"Whatever it is, you better make it quick, Crowley."

He smiled coldly. "I'm glad I have your attention. Now we can get down to business."

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update, been working on my other stories as well as it being holiday time. I'll try not to take too long to update since I left a cliffhanger hehe.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

"How did you find me, Crowley?" Jessie asked furiously.

"I'm pretty sure you're not stupid enough to lose your hex bag so..." he replied, trailing off.

She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You knew I would be here."

"Give the girl a prize," he replied with heavy sarcasm.

"What do you want?"

"I was curious to see if you had really done something as stupid as telling the Winchesters about everything, but, I can see that you are."

"I didn't have a choice," she replied adamantly.

"Clearly."

She shook her head in frustration. "Obviously you're not here just to listen to the sound of your own voice. So whatever it is you want get on with it."

He grinned furtively. "One of these days I'm going to have to do something about that mouth of yours."

"And one of these days I'm gonna send you back to hell permanently."

He chuckled with amusement. "Ah, Jessie. I wish the Winchesters were as fun to play with."

She rolled her eyes but stayed silent. She just wanted him to leave as quickly as he had came.

"Fine," he said, looking not quite as amused as before. "I need to know what your plans are, now that the scooby gang is involved."

"Nothing's changed."

"Really?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Really," she replied tersely. "I have no plans to change my strategy."

He narrowed his eyes in curiosity for a moment, grinning. "And I take it you're going to be staying with the moose and his brother?"

She sighed, choosing not to argue with him about the name calling.

"Yes. And Bobby."

He nodded his head in understanding.

"Good," he replied before looking towards Sam. "And you. You're lucky I still need you alive."

"And you're lucky I can't get my hands on a weapon," Sam replied angrily, struggling against the invisible force that was holding him against the car.

He chuckled with amusement. "As much fun as this was—I have other people I need to keep an eye on. We'll be seeing each other again soon, my dear."

She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Yeah, looking forward to it."

He seemed like he was about to turn around when he glanced back at her with a grin. "And by the way—congratulations on having a son."

She glanced at him with surprise, opening her mouth to retort, but he disappeared before she had the chance. When she turned around, Sam was standing behind her looking frustrated.

"Are you okay, Jess?"

She gazed at him in disbelief. "You're the one thrown up against the car and you ask if I'm okay?" She shook her head. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm fine," he replied shortly. "What was that all about?"

She gazed at him with confusion. "I don't have a clue, Sam. You heard him just as well as I did."

"Really?" he asked suspiciously. "Then why do I have a feeling there was a hidden meaning in what he said to you? Something you understood completely."

"What are you saying, Sam?" she asked with surprise. "Are you accusing me of something?"

"Yeah, I am," he said as he crossed his arms in front of him. "What was that all about? Why did you tell him that your strategy hasn't changed?"

"It's exactly how it sounded," she replied, although she wasn't being entirely truthful. "I plan on keeping myself away from Meg and the angels. What did you think it meant?"

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what I'm supposed to think, Jessie."

She knew she was keeping one thing from him, but she was still upset that he didn't trust her.

"I don't know either, Sam," she replied with disappointment.

He gazed into her eyes quietly for a few moments trying to figure out if he could trust her or not. Although she seemed genuine, he had a nagging feeling she was keeping something from him. It definitely didn't inspire him to trust her completely. He wanted to. But he couldn't. Not completely.

"We better get going before Bobby sends Dean out to search for us," he said as he pulled the car keys from his pocket.

"Not so fast," she said extending her hand out in expectation. "I'm driving."

He hesitated for a moment before tossing the keys into her hand.

She took no time jumping into the driver's side, waiting impatiently for him to climb into the passenger side. She wasn't really looking forward to an awkward quiet ride, but at least she was the one doing the driving this time. It would be enough to distract her from the silence—and her own guilt.

She turned the radio up the moment she pulled out of the parking lot. It served not only to distract her, but to keep Sam from saying much to her. There was one place she didn't want to argue with him, and that was in the car. But she didn't really have to worry. He spent most of the time gazing out the passenger side window, only occasionally glancing in her direction, which she pretended not to notice.

It wasn't a very long trip from the doctor's office to Bobby's house, arriving there not much more than thirty minutes later. Just as she'd imagined, Sam didn't speak to her once. However, he did walk around to the driver's side, opened the car door and offered his hand to her.

She took his hand, albeit reluctantly, and allowed him to help her out of the car, thanking him once she was on her feet. When he didn't say anything in return, she stood where she was, crossing her arms in irritation.

"So is this how it's gonna be now, Sam?" she asked with frustration. "You just gonna give me the silent treatment every time you think I'm hiding something?"

He was silent for a moment, pondering how he should respond. When he didn't answer right away, she began to sigh with irritation.

"I don't want to fight with you, Jessie," he answered quietly. "That's why I haven't said anything to you."

She narrowed her eyes. "If you have something to say to me, why don't you just say it, Sam?"

He sighed loudly. "Look, Jess. I love you. But I'm still having a difficult time trusting you. And then Crowley shows up and you still seem to be all buddy buddy with him. I definitely think I have the right to be a little suspicious."

She felt incredibly guilty about keeping the one secret from him, but it was all she was keeping from him. And there was a very good reason she had to keep it from him, and everyone else. No one could find out. Not if her life and the life of her unborn child were to remain relatively safe.

"I guess it is my fault, Sam," she replied. "I suppose I should've explained myself better."

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but continued to stay silent. He was eager to hear her explanation.

"Crowley is pissed that you know about the baby. I made a promise to him that if I didn't tell you, he would do everything he could to keep me safe from Meg and the angels." She raised her hand when it looked like he was about to interrupt. "That's why I told him plans hadn't changed. I still need his help, Sam. Whether you think so or not. It's better to keep him as an ally than have him as an enemy."

"And you trust him?"

"Of course not. But I told you that already. And so far he's kept his word," she replied, suddenly taking on a more serious look. "I know it's gonna take time to trust me again, Sam. I know that I screwed up, but I'm trying."

He felt guilty, but he tried not to show it. He knew she would never do anything to hurt him purposely, and she was only thinking about the welfare of their child. But he knew only too well about putting trust in a demon and where it could get you. He didn't want her to learn that lesson the hard way. And of all the demons, he trusted Crowley the least. He'd done nothing but screw them over whenever he could. Not to mention he always had alterior motives. And the part that frightened him the most was he had no idea what those motives could be this time, although he did have a few ideas. He wasn't sure if she was being ignorant to his motives or just naive. Either way, he was going to do whatever he could to make sure Crowley—or anyone else for that matter—didn't hurt her.

"I know, Jess," he replied, smiling supportively. "It's just—I don't want to see you get hurt. If something happened to you—"

She glanced away with a frown, fighting an urge to cry. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him. It only added to her guilt.

"Come here," he said as he scooped her into his arms and held her tightly.

He closed his eyes, burying his face in her hair, holding back tears of his own. He'd been frightened for months and nothing he'd found out about the reason she'd been hiding relieved him at all. And mistrusting her only made him feel worse about all of it.

She allowed him to hold her for a short time before she pulled away slightly, gazing up at him with a smile.

"I'd love for you to keep holding me, Sam," she said with a grin. "But I'd like to get inside before I freeze."

He smiled, but he was slightly embarassed that he hadn't even thought about the cold, being completely distracted by their conversation. Releasing his grip from around her waist, he took her hand, walking her into the house.

As they walked into the kitchen, Bobby and Dean were both sitting at the kitchen table having a beer. They glanced quickly in the couples direction before continuing with the conversation they had obviously interrupted. Jessie couldn't help but feel ignored since neither of them greeted her. But she did her best to push the hurt out of her mind, since she knew the only reason they were upset with her was because they cared about her. It was still a difficult concept for her to grasp, since it had been a long time since she'd had any real sense of family, but she was trying.

Sam smiled at her, squeezing her hand supportively. "Why don't you sit down while I make you a sandwich?"

"That sounds like the best idea I've heard all day," she replied with a smile.

He smiled, helping her take her coat off before taking his own off and hanging them up on the coat rack. When he returned, he headed straight to the fridge and began pulling food out of it. She watched him for a moment before she walked over to the kitchen table and sat down beside Bobby.

"Hi," she said to no one in particular.

"Hi," Bobby said to her after a short moment of awkward silence. "How was your appointment?"

"Good," she replied with a wide grin.

"Is that all it was was good?" he asked curiously. "Care to elaborate?"

"Everything's great."

He rolled his eyes in frustration, turning his attention back to his beer.

"Does everything have to be an inquisition with you now?" Dean asked harshly.

She wasn't really surprised by his attitude, but his question caught her off guard. She was about to respond when Sam stepped in.

"Knock it off, Dean," he said sternly. "She answered the question. What more do you want?"

He glanced apologetically at his brother, speaking a little more carefully. "I think Bobby was expecting details."

"Don't speak for me, kid."

He felt slighted, since he knew Bobby wanted to know just as much as he did. But instead of protesting, or arguing, he sat back in his chair and drank his beer quietly.

Jessie was trying—with great difficulty—not to get upset over their questions and attitude. But at the moment, she seemed less than able to do that. To make herself feel better she blamed it on her hormones, although she suspected there was more to it.

"What were you expecting, Dean?" she asked sarcastically. "For the doctor to tell me it looked demonic?"

He glared at her but didn't respond. Not after the hard look his brother shot him.

"That's enough, Jessie," Sam said as he placed a small plate with a large sandwich on it in front of her. "Just eat."

It was a reprimand, but she knew he was telling her she'd feel better if she ate, which he was probably right about. So she took the sandwich with a thankful smile and began to eat.

He sat down between Jessie and his brother quietly, but he couldn't manage to stay quiet for long. Grinning wildly, he glanced back and forth at his brother and Bobby before abruptly blurting out, "I'm having a son!"

Jessie nearly choked on her sandwich in surprise, while Dean and Bobby gazed at each other in shock, unsure what to say.

"Uh, congratulations, Sam," Bobby replied hesitantly.

"Yeah, congrats, Sammy," his brother replied almost as hesitantly.

His smile faded slowly as he noticed their forced smile and congratulations.

"I thought you'd be happy for me," he remarked ruefully.

An awkward silence overcame the entire room. And when she couldn't take it any longer, Jessie smiled at Sam supportively.

"It's okay, Sam. We're happy. That's all that matters."

Bobby sighed, turning his gaze towards her. "That's not it and you know it, Jess."  
>"Yeah, yeah, I know, Bobby," she replied with sarcasm. "It being demon spawn and all."<p>

"Jessie!" the brothers called in unison, while Bobby was silent in shock.

She rolled her eyes, picking up her plate.

"I'm gonna finish this upstairs," she said, standing up quickly, sweeping from the room.

"I'm sorry," Sam said apologetically. "She's a little sensitive after the day we've had."

Bobby's eyebrow flew upwards in suspicion. "What's that?"

He sighed before standing up in frustration. It took him a few moments of thought before he began to explain to them about their run in with Crowley. He didn't mention anything that would make them suspicious of Jessie, since he knew they already were. He figured he could keep an eye on her better if Dean and Bobby weren't trying to do the same.

Jessie finished her sandwich while sitting at the end of the bed in her room. She was much calmer once she finished eating, but she was still upset. She knew the baby situation wasn't ideal, but she thought at least Bobby would've been a little happy for her. Although she understood his concern, it still was her baby.

Instead of continuing to upset herself, she decided to lay down and have a nap. It had already been a long enough day for her. On top of her appointment, dealing with Crowley always took so much out of her. But as she lay her head down on the pillows, she found it difficult to get into a comfortable position. Eventually, after a lot of shifting around and positioning of the pillows and blanket, she finally drifted off into a light slumber.

She was awakened a short time later by a pair of feet lightly stomping into the room. She knew that it had to be Bobby because that was always the way he walked into the bedroom if she was sleeping and he wanted her to wake up. Otherwise, his footfalls were usually too quiet to even notice, asleep or awake. Stealth was something that you picked up as a hunter, if you wanted to survive.

She opened her eyes slowly, waiting until he sat on the edge of the bed before she attempted to wiggle herself into a sitting position, which she did with only minimal difficulty. She stayed quiet, waiting for him to break the silence.

"Were you awake?" he asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, somewhat," she replied.

He shifted his position, glancing at his hands for a moment before he turned to look at her.

"Look, I'm sorry, kid," he said ruefully. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know you didn't, Bobby. But you did."

He glanced down at his hands again, contemplating what he was going to say. When he gazed back in her direction he was looking apologetic.

"You know I'm not good at this kinda thing, Jess. And this situation, well, it's..." he said, trailing off.

"It's what, Bobby?" she prodded.

He sighed. "You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"

She shrugged her shoulders, unsure of what he was trying to say.

He shook his head slightly. "I'm scared, Jess. More scared for you than I've ever been. And it's not like you haven't scared me before."

She smiled supportively, sliding herself close enough so she could take one of his hands in hers.

"I'm sorry, Bobby. This is one of the reasons I kept it a secret from you."

"That's not right either, Jess," he replied with a slight shake of his head. "You know better than that."

"I know, Bobby. But I can't change the past, can I?"

"Would you?" he asked.

She glanced away for a moment to ponder the answer. And although she wanted to tell him what he wanted to hear. She just couldn't lie to him.

"I'm not sure," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

He shook his head in disappointment. "At least you're being honest."

She felt ashamed that he was disappointed in her, but there was nothing she could do but attempt to make it up to him. She had no idea how she was going to do it, but she swore she would—somehow.

An awkward silence followed, lasting several minutes. Neither of them knew exactly what to say to each other, but their looks and body language expressed more than their words ever could.

When Bobby finally decided he'd bothered her long enough. He gazed at her with a thoughtful look. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Bobby," she beamed.

He nodded his head and began to walk out of the room, turning back quickly when he got to the door. "Come downstairs and have something eat," he said before continuing out the door once again.

She thanked him as he was exiting the room then climbed out of bed, heading to the bathroom before she did anything else. Besides having to pee, her hair was a tangled mess from tossing and turning to stay comfortable.

After cleaning up, she walked down the stairs slowly doing her best to listen for talking, in case she interrupted something. But the only sounds she heard were shuffling around and the moving of silverware on the table. So she continued down the stairs and into the kitchen, ignoring everyone except Sam, who was smiling brightly. She returned his smile then found her spot at the table beside him, lying her hand on his knee under the table.

"Thanks for letting me rest," she said, turning towards him with a smile.

"I thought you needed it," he replied, before grinning teasingly. "You were kinda grumpy."

She rolled her eyes with a grin. "You're lucky I'm not grumpy right now. You might find yourself eating through a straw."

He moved closer, whispering in her ear. "I'm ready any time you are."

She snorted, smiling deviously. "Be careful what you wish for, Sam."

He smiled, kissing her on the cheek lightly. "Don't I know that."

She smiled in return, but turned her attention to Bobby who had just placed a plate of food in front of her.

"I know it's not as good as your cooking, but it'll have to do," he said gruffly.

"I'm so hungry I could even eat your cooking, old man," she teased with a grin.

He rolled his eyes in response, but as he turned away from her he smiled.

Dinner went by relatively smoothly. Other than an occasional glance in her direction, Dean didn't say much to Jessie other than small talk. In fact, he barely spoke at all. Jessie wasn't sure what was said after she had went upstairs, but she could just imagine. Not that she needed anyone to fight her battles for her. She was strong enough to put up with being shunned and mistrusted, even if she hated it. Besides, she knew she had been in the wrong. She shouldn't have responded the way she did, but she was unable to control her outburst. She liked to blame it on the hormones, or being hungry. But she wasn't really sure that was the only reason.

After dinner, she spent the evening on the couch with Sam watching TV, while Bobby and Dean were researching something. She was happy because she got to spend time cuddling with Sam while the suspicious eyes were kept busy and away from her. She wasn't quite sure if it was the disappointment or the mistrust that hurt more, but either way she was happy not to worry about it for a few hours.

It wasn't too late when the couple finally went to bed, which made it more difficult for Jessie to find sleep. She figured if she hadn't napped she would have been exhausted enough to sleep, but no amount of trying seemed to help. No position seemed comfortable enough. The pillows didn't seem firm enough. And Sam was moving around too much. There was no way she was going to sleep at that moment. And after an hour of trying to sleep, she climbed out of bed quietly, creeping out of the room.

All of the lights were off downstairs when she made it down there, so she knew everyone was in bed. She crept quietly into the kitchen, leaving the lights off. Realizing she was hungry, she walked over to the fridge and opened it, unsure of what she wanted. A quick glance in the fridge revealed the need to go shopping for Bobby, since he had very little in the way of food. She closed the door quietly, stopping to ponder what else she might be able to eat, when a thought occurred to her. She wanted ice cream.

She opened the freezer door to see if she could find some ice cream, but with no illumination she was unable to see anything. She changed her mind, deciding to turn the light on after all. As she was closing the freezer door, she noticed a dark figure behind the door, making her jump back in surprise.

"Dean!" she yelled as he flipped on the light switch.

He glanced at her with surprise, his finger on his mouth in a hushing gesture.

"What're you doing down here?" he asked with suspicion.

Her first reaction was to snap at him for speaking to her in the tone he used, but she understood his reaction so she held her emotions in check.

"I'm hungry, Dean," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I was hoping Bobby had some ice cream."

"Oh, sorry," he replied.

She opened the freezer door again now that the kitchen light was on, rooting around for ice cream. She managed to find an opened tub of it in the back buried under some frozen vegetables. But when she read the label she looked at it with disappointment.

"Dammit," she said as she set it back down and slammed the door.

"What? No ice cream."

"Yeah, but it's tiger tail," she replied with disgust. "Who the hell eats tiger tail? It sounds like something a poacher would eat."

He smiled at her with amusement. "You know that's Bobby's favorite."

"Yeah, I know. No accounting for some people's taste," she replied with a look disgust.

"I don't know why I'm gonna do this," he began to mumble to himself before raising his voice. "Would you like me to go get you some ice cream from the store?"

She looked at him with surprise for a moment before smiling gratefully. "Thanks, Dean. But I got a better idea."

He raised his eyebrow slightly in suspicion. "And what's that?"

"You can take me to the store so I can get what I want."

He wondered why she didn't just go herself, but after a quick moment he realized why. She had promised not to go anywhere without someone with her. He was relieved she was keeping her word. He didn't like being so suspicious of her, so he really hoped it was only short lived.

"Fine, but I'm driving," he replied.

"Absolutely," she said with a grin.

He was surprised she didn't argue, but he wasn't going to give her a chance to change her mind. He hurried her into his car and headed to the nearest store—that was open late—as quickly as he could.

Once inside the store, he watched in amusement as she chose several different kinds of ice cream bars and even a couple of chocolate bars before paying for all of it. He had never seen her eat much junk food, let alone go out of her way to buy it for herself, which is what made it especially funny. In fact, she was always telling him how awful junk food was for him. He was enjoying how ironic this situation was.

When they made it back to Bobby's, Jessie stuck her ice cream in the freezer, minus one bar that she immediately unwrapped and began to eat, while Dean watched with a grin of amusement on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing," he replied as nonchalantly as possible.

"Oh, where are my manners," she said teasingly. "Thank you for taking me to the store, Dean."

He smiled. "Well next time, wake Sam up and make him do it. It is his job to fetch you ice cream in the middle of the night."

She smiled but didn't respond. It was nice to have him looking at her with something other than mistrust and disappointment, so she didn't want to rock the boat.

Dean grabbed himself a beer and sat at the table to drink it while Jessie continued to eat. After two ice cream bars—one didn't end up being enough for her— and a chocolate bar, she decided it was time to go back to bed and try to sleep again. After saying goodnight to Dean, who was still nursing his beer, she went back up to her bedroom and climbed into the bed, snuggling into Sam's arms.

"Mmmmm, you're cold," Sam mumbled sleepily.

"Shhhh, go back to sleep," she whispered gently, kissing him lightly on the chest.

He moaned for a moment before his breathing became even again. Once she was sure he was asleep once again, she closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.

When she woke up in the morning, she found herself in bed alone. A quick glance at her watch revealed it was already late morning, so she wasn't surprised to find Sam's side of the bed empty. She wasn't even sure how he managed to climb out of bed without waking her, since she was usually a very light sleeper. The only explanation she could come up with was that she must have been much more exhausted than she thought she was when she had went to bed.

After using the bathroom and following her usual morning routine, she headed downstairs to grab some breakfast. She stopped short near the bottom of the stairs, trying to listen to the conversation coming from the kitchen. She thought she heard the name Cas, so she stayed where she was to listen longer. When she realized they were actually speaking to him, she froze in fear afraid to even breathe, in case he would hear her. She had only been there for a minute when Sam walked into the room from the direction of the kitchen.

"You might as well come into the kitchen," he said quietly after walking over to her. "Cas wants to talk to you."

She gazed at him with fear and apprehension. "I can't, Sam."

He leaned closer, whispering in her ear. "I don't think he knows anything, Jessie."

"Are you sure? How do you know?" she whispered frantically.

"Calm down," he said reassuringly. "He just wants to tell you something."

"What?"

"I don't know. He said it's for your ears only."

She gazed at him with a look of fear, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock, her breath catching in her throat.

"It's okay," he said, his brow furrowing in concern.

She nodded her head in understanding. "I hope you're right."

He smiled supportively before taking her by the hand, leading her towards the kitchen door. When they reached it, she hesitated, so Sam squeezed her hand reassuringly. She smiled at him gratefully before pushing the door open and walking through the door quickly, with her head held up bravely, despite her fear.

Castiel the angel was standing in the middle of the kitchen close to the table, while Dean and Bobby were standing nearby. He attempted a friendly smile as she made eye contact with him, but it didn't feel all that friendly to her. She glanced helplessly at Dean and Bobby, but neither of them seemed as concerned about the situation as she did. She continued to hold her head high feigning confidence, even as he stepped nearer to her.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

He stopped in place with a look of confusion. "I need to speak with you."

"Then talk," she replied impatiently, crossing her arms in front of her.

He gazed at her with curiosity for a moment before he took a few steps closer. "I will. As soon as we're alone."

She narrowed her eyes in confusion as he reached his hand towards her. She tried to back away but she wasn't quick enough. The moment his hand touched her, she felt a strange sensation that made her close her eyes for a quick moment. When she opened them, she was standing on a white sandy beach that stretched as far as she could see. Crystal clear ocean waters were lightly washing up on the nearby shore, the smell of salt water wafting in the warm breeze.

"Where the hell are we?" she asked, her eyes darting around in alarm.

"An uninhabited island in the South Pacific," he replied nonchalantly.

"What the hell are we doing here?" she asked angrily.

"I told you. We needed to speak in private."

She rolled her eyes. "I guess I can't argue with private," she said sarcastically.

He smiled lightly. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You didn't. Just warn me next time you feel the need to take me somewhere against my will."

He narrowed his eyes lightly in confusion for a moment, before gazing at her stoically.

"I know about the baby you're carrying," he said.

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Anyone who looks at me can tell I'm having a baby."

He shook his head lightly. "No. That's not what I mean. I know that Crowley and Meg want that child," he replied, pointing to her extended belly. "The only thing I don't know is why."

"Well, you're a little late," she said sarcastically. "I already know they're after my baby."

"Do you know why?"

She wasn't sure if he already knew or if he was just testing her. Either way she knew she couldn't say anything. She had to lie.

"I have no idea," she said, looking straight into his eyes.

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as if he was suspicious. "And you are positive you have no idea? Not even a guess."

She shrugged her shoulders as nonchalantly as she could manage. "He is a Winchester, after all."

He pursed his lips in thought for a moment. "I know you don't trust me, Jessie. But I want you to know that you can."

She snorted. "Right. Based on what? Your track record?"

"I have been trying to make amends for the mistakes I've made in the past. That's why I am doing this."

"So, somehow helping me will help you make amends? How's that?"

His gaze shifted as if he was looking somewhere far away, a slight frown on his face.

"I still feel that I owe Sam for what I did to him."

She knew exactly what he meant. He was sorry for breaking the wall inside Sam's head that had kept him from remembering his time in the cage with Lucifer and Michael. She hadn't known Sam back then, but Bobby had told her the hell he went through afterwards. He even spent some time in a psychiatric hospital. Eventually he was able to overcome his suffering, without any help from Castiel.

"So, I'm just a way to make it back into Sam's good book, is that it?"

"No. That isn't it."

She waited impatiently for a few moments for him to say more, but when it didn't seem he was going to speak, she sighed in frustration.

"Do you care to explain?"

"Look, we don't have much time. I don't know when someone might find us."

She shuddered involuntarily, then had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself. She didn't like his response. It sounded vaguely ominous. It made her wonder how much he knew and whether the other angels did too.

"I just want you to understand that I know what is going on and I intend on doing whatever I can to keep you safe." He paused for a moment as she stared at him in disbelief. "I know you have been speaking with Crowley. I also know you have a hex bag that keeps you hidden from both demons and angels. Don't lose it. And if you can, get Sam and Dean to carry one when they are with you as well."

"I don't understand," she interrupted, shaking her head.

"I would like to say more, but I'm afraid I can't say it out loud. In case someone is listening."

She narrowed her eyes in confusion and shook her head. "If you know what's really going on... then why?"

He gazed thoughtfully into her eyes. "No one is born evil. I believe your child should be given a chance to live before it is condemned."

She swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "Thank you—Castiel."

He smiled, nodding his head lightly. "I better get you back before Sam yells at me any louder."

A slight smirk crossed her face as she imagined him yelling at thin air, making the angel look at her with curiosity. She could only shrug and smile.

"I'm ready any time you are," she said. "Although I should consider myself crazy for not wanting to stay in this paradise longer."

He smiled before taking a few steps forward and placing his hand on her forehead. In an instant, she was back in Bobby's kitchen with three sets of concerned eyes staring at her.

"I'm fine," she said with a simple shrug of her shoulders.

Sam opened his mouth to say something, but the angel interrupted him.

"She can explain everything," he said shortly. "I must leave now."

Before anyone had a chance to utter a word, Castiel disappeared with only the sound of wings to announce his departure.

"Nice to see you, too, Cas," Dean said sarcastically.

Jessie snickered lightly before she walked over to the fridge. She was about to open the door when Sam called her name. Turning around, she smiled at him reassuringly.

"We'll speak just as soon as I eat breakfast," she said, adding, "and have coffee."

He glanced at his brother and Bobby, shrugging his shoulders with a smirk.

**A/N: With a secret looming and Castiel aware of what's going on, where do you think that's going to leave the child? Do you think he can be trusted? And what about that secret? Do you think she'll be able to keep it for very long? What do you think it could be?**

**Sorry it takes so long for me to update lately. With working and everything it's difficult to get enough time to write more than a few sentences at a time. But I swear I won't be abandoning this story until it's done. And yes, I do know how it's going to end. I've known that all along *wink***

**Thanks for reading!**


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Once Jessie had eaten her breakfast and filled up on coffee, she explained to the three men what Castiel had wanted. While none of them seemed surprised that he would want to help. Sam wasn't quite convinced about his motives. He knew Cas still felt bad about what he'd done. But it was still difficult to trust him, even after all this time. And to risk the life of his child, he was going to have to prove himself before he could believe it completely.

By the time they were done discussing Castiel it was after noon. Jessie convinced Sam to go with her to the grocery store so she could cook something decent for dinner that night, even after Bobby protested saying he had more than enough food for everyone. However, she didn't want to eat what he had in the fridge and it was too late to pull something out of the freezer. So she won the argument, sort of. It meant she had to do the shopping and she had to pay, but that was always the reason he protested. He didn't like when she bought him anything, it felt like charity. And although she never made him feel that way about it, that was the way it was. So she always had to find creative ways to help him out without making him feel badly about it.

Sam was more than happy to take her shopping. It wasn't just because he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could. But he also enjoyed having a chance to choose something to eat that didn't come from a corner store or vending machine. Which happened less frequently when she was around.

After shopping, Jessie got dinner ready then spent some time alone with Sam in their bedroom. They made out a little, but didn't have sex. She felt too awkward to have sex in Bobby's house, at least while he was home. So most of the time they spent talking, or just holding each other, making up for lost time. They tried their best to avoid the subject of demons and angels, but they did speak about the baby. Sam wanted to know if she'd chosen a name since she knew what she was having now. She played coy for a short time, but eventually he coaxed an answer out of her. "You'll find out when he's born," was all she would say. And after trying for some time, he decided to give up and try again later. Besides, he had many more questions about the baby he needed answered.

After dinner they spent another quiet night on the couch while Bobby and Dean were busy. They went to bed early, waking early as well. And after breakfast, both of them pulled out their laptops and began to look for a case, even though he wasn't crazy about taking her hunting while she was pregnant. However, he wasn't stupid enough to voice his concern to her. He didn't even open his mouth about it to either his brother or Bobby. He wasn't going to take a chance she would find out how he felt. He knew exactly how that conversation would go. And he wasn't interested in making that happen.

It was late afternoon before Jessie began to cook dinner. Since the entire household had been busy the entire day looking for cases, no one had even bothered to worry about food until it had begun to get dark. All she did was throw something quick together, which everyone ate where they were instead of gathering around the kitchen table.

She was slumped over her laptop while sitting at the kitchen table after dinner when she had an idea. She glanced over at Sam, who was on the opposite side of the table slumped over his own laptop, smiling at him coyly when he finally lifted his gaze.

"What?" he asked with narrowed eyes of suspicion.

"So...what're you doing in a few days?" she asked with a furtive grin.

He narrowed his eyes in thought, his brow furrowed. "I don't know. Why?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "You mean you don't know what's next week?"

"Uh, no."

"Really?" she asked with surprise. "You're teasing me now, right?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She snorted in disbelief. "I guess I shouldn't really be all that surprised that you wouldn't know."

"What is it?"

She shook her head before standing up from the table and leaving the room. Walking into the study, she waited until Bobby raised his head from the book he was reading before she spoke.

"You're taking me shopping tomorrow, old man."

He gazed at her with confusion, then turned his gaze to Sam questioningly as he walked into the room behind Jessie.

"For what?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Tell me you know what's next week?"

He furrowed his brow for a moment before a look of realization passed through his eyes.

"Aw, Jess. I don't know," he said as he glanced uneasily in Sam's direction again.

She looked at him with disappointment before turning to Sam. "Fine. Then you're taking me whether you like it or not."

He gazed at her with confusion. "I still don't know why...but, okay."

She was about to tell him, when Bobby piped up.

"It's Christmas, ya idgit."

"Oh," he replied in surprise. "Okay."

"Okay? That's all you have to say?"

He leaned close to her, whispering in her ear. "Do you really think this is the best time?"

She felt the sting of rejection for a moment before she understood what he meant. She still had a lot to make up for and he didn't think a celebration would be the best idea. But she didn't care what any of them thought. It had been a long time since she celebrated any holiday, and she wasn't about to let their attitudes ruin it for her.

"We're gonna have Christmas whether you like it or not," she stated adamantly. "_And_, someone is taking me shopping tomorrow, or I _will_ go alone."

Sam sighed, looking at Bobby as if he was horrified. He only grinned in return.

"Fine. I'll take you," he replied in defeat.

She smiled and shook her head in refusal. "No, you're not. Bobby's taking me," she replied, turning around with a sly grin.

He didn't look too impressed but he nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now that it's settled I can get back to my research."

Sam watched her bound from the room before turning to Bobby with a look of terror. "What the hell did you just agree to?"

He shook his head lightly and shrugged. "It's gonna happen with our without us, Sam. Best thing to do is just let it happen."

"Seriously, Bobby?" he said with a sigh. "You know how much I hate Christmas."

"Yeah. You and me both kid. But she's got her heart set on it," he replied. "And as angry as I am with her, I don't wanna break her heart."

"Yeah. I feel the same way, Bobby."

"Then suck it up," he replied with a smirk, then went back to reading his book.

He rolled his eyes but he was laughing on the inside. It was Bobby that had to take her shopping. He was happy he dodged a bullet there. As much as he loved her and would do anything for her, he was definitely happy he wasn't the one taking her Christmas shopping. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

Jessie went straight back to researching some cases on her laptop after her talk with Bobby. As much as she was looking forward to Christmas, she would drop everything in a heartbeat if she could find something to hunt. It had been suspiciously quiet for far too long, which gave her a very bad feeling.

Sam joined her in the kitchen a short time later, but he only stayed with her for a couple of hours before he watched something on TV then headed to bed. He was slightly upset she didn't feel like joining him, but she wasn't tired. She was too busy to even feel tired.

It was well after midnight when she finally began to feel sleepy. So after she shut down her laptop, she walked into the study to say goodnight to Bobby, who was sleeping in his chair with a book in his hands. She smiled, carefully taking the book from his hands and set it down on the desk. She was about to wake him when she did a double take, glancing at some notes he had on his desk. All of them were about demon omens. Dozens of them. Most of them in the general vicinity of South Dakota, or in the states nearby. She had to close her eyes and take a deep breath to stop herself from becoming angry with him for keeping it a secret from her. She knew that it would most likely be about her, or because of her, which is why he hadn't told her about them. She didn't even know if she should feel angry, or guilty. Although she was feeling both at the moment.

Once her anger dissipated, she woke Bobby up and sent him on his way to bed, following closely behind him. She had to push Sam over in the bed slightly so she could climb in, which didn't wake him, but also didn't give her much room to get comfortable. She could've woke him up, but instead, she found herself watching him sleep peacefully with a smile on her face, eventually drifting off into a peaceful slumber of her own.

She was awakened several hours later by Bobby yelling Sam's name. He nearly jumped out of bed, stopping only long enough to shoot her a smile before he ran from the room. However, she was not being called so she took her time crawling out of bed slowly before making her way to the bathroom.

She was brushing her teeth when Sam came into the room looking hurried. He beamed brightly, waiting for her to finish brushing before pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply. When he finally pulled away, she was breathing heavily with a wide grin.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"I gotta go," he replied tersely.

"What? Where?"

He smiled, brushing her cheek lightly. "Bobby will have to explain. He's gonna yell at me if I don't go now."

As if on cue, Bobby yelled up the stairs for him. He gazed at her apologetically before charging from the room, leaving her with questions. She was upset that she couldn't move fast enough to catch up to him before he left, so she didn't even bother. She could already hear the roar of the Impala's engine fading into the distance.

She was happy that there was a fresh pot of coffee waiting for her when she made it into the kitchen. Bobby was also there on the phone talking animatedly. He nodded to acknowledge her presence before turning his full attention back to his call. She poured herself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table, attempting to wait patiently for him to get off of the phone. She began drumming her fingers on the table loudly, until he shot an irritated glance in her direction that made her stop immediately.

Once he hung up the phone, he turned to face her with an expectational look. "You need somethin'?

She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Don't play dumb with me, old man. I know better."

He sighed. "They'll be back by tomorrow evening."

"And that's all you're going to say?"

He shook his head slightly. "Fine. Got a call from Marcus. He broke his arm while on a ghost hunt. All he needs is someone to dig up the body, salt and burn it and then they'll be on their way home again."

"And there was no one else who could do it?"

"No. Everyone else is—busy."

She noticed the long pause and was incredibly suspicious, but since she had an idea what was going on she decided not to call him on it. She decided to continue playing dumb instead. She didn't want him to know she'd seen his research.

"Okay. But why couldn't I go with them?"

He made a strange sound as he tried to stifle a laugh. "Should you really be digging graves in your condition, Jess?" She nodded her head lighty in agreement. "Besides. Didn't you want to go shopping today?"

"You got me there," she replied.

"Then eat something and we'll go," he said with a note of finality.

She quickly made herself some toast and managed to find an old, but still fine, apple in the fridge to go with it. When she was finished, she got dressed into something a little nicer than she usually wore and waited, impatiently, for Bobby to get ready. He seemed unusually dressed up in her opinion, but she didn't tease him about it, although she really wanted to. She didn't want him to change his mind about taking her shopping. She already thought she was pushing her luck, so she kept her mouth shut.

When he was finally ready to go, she followed him outside but stopped almost immediately outside the door waiting for him to turn around. It took him a few moments before he realized she had stopped. He turned around gazing at her with impatience when he noticed the keys dangling from her hand.

"You're not driving, Jess," he said.

She grinned. "I knew you would say that, old man."

"Then what's the problem?"

She chuckled. "I'm not getting into your Chevelle. You can drive my car."

"Why? What's wrong with my car?" he snapped.

She shook her head and tossed him the keys, then headed to her own car without waiting for a response. She ignored the dirty look he shot her across the hood of the car as he unlocked the door. He didn't say anything as he got into the car or as he drove. She didn't even know where he was taking her, but she didn't want to ask him in case he changed his mind. Even after they headed out of Sioux Falls, she still didn't ask. Instead she sat nearly silent, only occasionally singing with a song that came on the radio.

It was about an hour after they left Sioux Falls when Bobby pulled the Caprice into the parking lot of a large department store. It wasn't somewhere she'd ever been before but she was definitely intrigued. She began to think of all the things she wanted to buy, while watching in amusement as he tried to find a parking spot close to the front of the store.

"You're never gonna find a good parking spot a few days before Christmas, Bobby," she said with a smirk.

"That's what you think," he replied.

She continued to watch in amusement as he drove down one aisle and then another, until he found an open space beside a handicap spot. She rolled her eyes when she read the sign posted for the spot.

"It helps to have a pregnant woman with me, now doesn't it?" he said as he turned towards her with grin.

"Yeah, well, I forgot about those courtesy spots," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

He chuckled. "Does it make you feel like an invalid?"

"No," she replied with a hard look. "But I can always play up the '_I'm pregnant and need lots of pampering_', if you'd like?"

He glared at her quietly for a moment before reaching for the door. "Let's go. I don't wanna be here all day."

She chuckled silently before climbing out of the car.

She followed behind Bobby, being as careful as she could as she walked through the slush in the parking lot, stopping once she got inside the building. He stopped to see where she was, shooting her a curious glance. She'd slipped on a small patch of ice, pulling a muscle in her lower back, but she was too proud to admit it, especially after she'd teased him. So she swallowed hard, ignoring the pain as best she could, catching up to him quickly.

"You're getting slow in your old age," he teased.

She rolled her eyes, grabbing a shopping cart and began continuing down the main aisle, not looking back to see if he was following. The store was so busy that she didn't intend on spending any more time there than she needed to. Plus, she knew Bobby wouldn't want to either.

It was an hour into shopping when Bobby began to complain about going home. She told him to go find somewhere to sit down, but each time he refused. She suspected he was afraid to leave her alone. And although she doubted she was in any danger, she didn't argue with him. She had promised to stay with him. And she didn't plan on breaking her promise.

It was well into the second hour when she thought she finally had all that she wanted, and needed. No one was happier about that than Bobby, until she informed him that she still needed to get groceries. He nearly threw a fit, but he didn't refuse her. He knew it wouldn't get him anywhere.

After the car was loaded, they headed back to Sioux Falls, stopping at the local grocery store. She not only bought what she needed for Christmas, but groceries for several weeks. He complained about having no room to fit it all into the car, but she knew it wouldn't be an issue. Her trunk was huge as well as having a large back seat. And although it was a tight fit, she managed to get everything into it.

By the time they made it back to Bobby's house, they'd been gone several hours. And although he'd helped her carry things in, she did the majority of it herself since he'd received an important phone call almost immediately after they arrived. And even after her back felt like it was going to give out, she still didn't say a word about it. She was much too proud.

After she put something on to cook for dinner, she headed upstairs to have a long, hot soak in the bathtub. It helped her relax so well that she almost dozed off. However, the sound of her phone ringing was enough to wake her up. But since it was out of reach, she decided not to hurry out of the tub.

After she toweled herself dry, she wrapped it around herself tightly and picked up her phone, which had been lying on the bathroom sink. She looked to see who had called. It was Sam and he'd left a message.

'_We, uh, ran into a problem so we're not gonna be back tonight. We should be back sometime tomorrow, hopefully by noon. I miss you_.'

She was slightly disappointed that he wouldn't be back for dinner, but at least that would give her time to decorate the house. Although she wondered how well that idea would go over with Bobby in the way. She decided she would get dressed and figure it out later.

When she walked into the kitchen, she found Bobby talking on the phone. He was wearing a strange expression, which looked like a mix between horror, surprise with a strange grin. She was curious at first, before she realized she'd seen that look once before, and now she knew who he was speaking to.

She checked on the pot roast she'd put in for dinner and then began peeling a few potatoes. She had just put them on the stove to boil when Bobby was finally off the phone. He was gazing at her pensively, his brow beginning to furrow.

"What does Sheriff Mills need this time?" she asked with a mirthless grin.

"What? How? Nevermind that," he stammered with a shake of his head. He turned away from her so she couldn't see him blushing. "It wouldn't be a problem if the boys were gonna be back home tonight."

"What wouldn't be a problem?" she interrupted.

He sighed loudly in frustration. "There's something I need to go deal with, but I don't want to leave you here alone."

"Bobby. I'll be fine."

He paced a few steps back and forth with indecision, stopping after a few moments to gaze at Jessie with a serious look.

"Promise me you'll stay in the house until the boys get back."

"Where would I go?"

He sighed in exasperation. "I mean it, Jess."

"Yes, of course I will, Bobby. Don't worry so much. It promotes wrinkles."

"Ha, ha," he said mockingly.

"I promise I'll stay in the house, Bobby," she replied seriously.

He nodded, leaving the room quickly.

She waited until she was positive he'd left the house before she turned down the potatoes and began to unpack the Christmas decorations she'd bought earlier. By the time everything was ready to go up, the potatoes were finished cooking. So she mashed them, took the roast from the oven and made gravy while waiting for a tiny pot of peas to cook. When it was all done, she made herself a plate, eating alone and in silence. And it wasn't like she hadn't done that very same thing every day for over two months. But this time she really felt lonely. She now regretted the time she'd missed with her new family. But no amount of regret or wishing could turn back the clock. And she still wondered if she would do anything different if she knew what she knew now. However, she doubted it very much.

After she was finished eating, she put dinner away in the fridge and washed the few dishes that were dirty, before she began hanging up Christmas lights in all of the windows on the main floor of the house. Afterwards, she moved on to setting up the plastic tree she'd bought and decorated it as well. And when she was finished, it was still early, so she decided to begin wrapping the presents she'd bought, since it would be easier when no one was nosing around. She didn't go overboard in her purchases, knowing they might feel badly if they couldn't reciprocate. But the majority of what she bought were things they needed. She figured if she bought them items they needed, they could go out and buy themselves something they wanted instead.

By the time she was finished wrapping presents she was finally tired enough to even fathom going to bed. She arranged the presents under the tree and began turning off the lights around the house. She walked into the kitchen to turn off the light, which was the only remaining light on in the house, when it began to flicker. Her first instinct was to reach for the nearest weapon that would work against demons. But then she remembered there was no way for them to get into the house. Not with all the demon warding symbols. Instead, she turned off the kitchen light so she would be able to see outside.

She thought she heard a faint knock at the front door as she was turning off the light, so she approached it slowly, grabbing the gun she had stashed in her coat pocket as she walked past the coat rack. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see a dark figure standing outside of the door. After a moments thought, she realized who it was by their shape.

"What do you want, Crowley?" she snapped as she opened the wooden door, speaking through the screen door.

"And hello to you, too," he replied.

"Can it, Crowley! What the hell do you want?"

"Testy, aren't we?" he mocked.

"I'm gonna slam this door in your face if you don't tell me what you want."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. I can see you're not going to be any fun tonight," he said, placing one hand in his pocket. "I just stopped by to let you know I left something in that shed out back there."

"The shed?" she asked curiously.

"It doesn't look like anyone goes there often. Could you think of a better place?"

She averted her eyes, shifting her feet uncomfortably. "But, uh, I, uh, I don't know if I can do that anymore."

He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "We've already spoken about this. You said you had no plans to change your strategy."

"I know, but..." she replied, her voice trailing off.

"But?! That's all you have to say is but?" he replied angrily, his voice becoming steadily louder. "Did you forget we had this conversation already?! If Meg gets her hands on you, do you think she'll just let you go after the baby is born?! Are you really that stupid?!"

"I know!" she yelled in frustration. "But I just can't do it anymore. I can't."

"You can't?! You can't?!" he mocked her furiously. "But you can and you will have your lungs ripped out of your chest! Is that what you want?"

"No!"

"But it will happen! And Sam will find your dead, mangled body—"

"Enough! Shut up!" she cried breathlessly, her voice suddenly becoming quiet. "That's not fair."

"Fair? Do you think demons play fair?" he asked with a mocking laugh. "I'm beginning to think I was all wrong about you."

"I'm not stupid, Crowley!" she replied with irritation. "You know exactly what I meant."

He stared at her for a few moments, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "Fine. Obviously you don't need my help any longer."

"Crowley!" she called as he began to turn around. She waited until he was facing her before she spoke once again. "Don't you think for one second that I don't know that you're just as untrustworthy and manipulative as any other demon. You may be assisting me, but I know you have your own motives. And if you try to hurt my baby, I _will_ kill you."

He grinned maliciously. "I knew there was still fight left in you."

"Crowley..."

"Jessie. I'm helping you because it serves my purpose. I've never denied that. But don't _you_ think for one second that I wouldn't hesitate to kill you and your child if I thought it served a much better purpose."

She glared at him seethingly. "You could try."

He laughed maniacally. "At least you're not lacking in confidence."

"I've had enough of this, Crowley. I'm going to bed."

His smile faded quickly from his face. "Don't forget. It's in the shed if you change your mind."

She backed up to close the door, looking away for only a moment. When she turned to glance in his direction again he was gone. Sighing in relief, she closed the door. But instead of going straight to bed, she hesitated by the door, trying to decide if she should go out to the shed. She stood there for a short time, finally deciding to head up to bed. She hoped a good night's sleep would help her see things much more clearly.

**A/N: Well, should be an interesting Christmas, don't you think? And what do you think Crowley is up to now?**

**Thanks for reading!**


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Jessie woke up the next morning just as the sun was rising above the horizon. She laid in bed for a while, taking her time to awaken before she finally decided to climb out of bed and start her day.

The first thing she did was glance out the bedroom window to see if she could see the Impala or Bobby's Chevelle. But as she suspected, no one was back yet. So she headed into the bathroom, taking all the time she wanted to shower and get ready for the day.

She was hungry by the time she made it downstairs but she wasn't feeling all that well. She'd begun to suffer with a mild headache and now it was beginning to throb, as well as having an upset stomach. She quickly glanced out of the window thinking she'd seen something, which she hadn't, but it had served to remind her about the shed. She realized now what she needed to do to get rid of her headache and stomach ache. She just didn't know if she could, or if she should.

— — —

After a trip out to the shed, she was feeling much better, at least physically. She now felt guilty as hell, but she had to continue telling herself it was all for the welfare of the baby. If she couldn't convince herself, she was sure she wouldn't be able to live with herself. She knew what she was doing was wrong. She knew it was dangerous. But Crowley was right. Meg would definitely kill her, and probably in the most painful way she could imagine. She had to do everything she could to keep that from happening. Even if the idea had come from Crowley.

Once she was back in the house she began to make herself breakfast. She wasn't in the mood for anything too greasy, so she decided on making oatmeal with fresh fruit. Besides being healthier for her, she needed something to help keep her warm. Especially while Sam wasn't around. Bobby's house wasn't in disrepair, but she always found it incredibly drafty. It definitely wasn't as warm and cozy as her own house.

A short time later, she was washing the dishes when her phone began to ring. She nearly dropped it in her haste to answer it, but she managed to keep a hold of it, although she almost missed the call by the time she finally managed to answer it.

She was excited to hear Sam's voice for a moment. However, she was quickly disappointed when he told her they wouldn't be home until some time in the evening. He explained that Bobby had asked for their help, which is where they were now. And all of them needed a couple hours of sleep before driving home. She did her best not to give away her disappointment over the phone, but she was unable to hide her irritation. She hung up the phone before he finished talking, which she instantly regretted.

Once she was finished cleaning the kitchen, she took her laptop into the livingroom, sat down on the couch and began doing some research. She kept at it for two hours before she began to doze off. She didn't want to sleep, so she got up and did some laundry and some miscellaneous cleaning, but by midafternoon she felt drained. So she took a book into the livingroom, laying down on the couch and began to read. It wasn't long before she drifted off, the book she was holding falling onto the floor.

Jessie was awakened some time later by loud voices in the house. She opened her eyes to find everything was dark, except for the lights on the Christmas tree and a light shining from under the kitchen door. She listened momentarily, her worry leaving as soon as she heard Bobby's voice.

She sat up on the couch, answering Sam as he called her name from the kitchen. She barely had a chance to get to her feet by the time he came flying into the room, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Whoa!" she said as she pulled herself loose of his grip. "It's only been two days."

"Sorry," he said with a bright smile. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," she replied with an equally bright smile.

He grasped her face gently with his hand as he leaned in close to kiss her. It was a long, slow, passionate kiss, that lasted for more than a minute, until they were interrupted by the light being turned on and a booming voice.

"What the hell did you do to my house?" Bobby demanded.

She pulled away from Sam slowly, smiling furtively before turning her gaze towards Bobby.

"You mean you don't like the lights? They're festive."

"They're tacky," he replied harshly.

"You love 'em and you know it," she said with a wide grin.

He gazed at her silently for a moment before he shook his head and left the room for his study, closing the door loudly behind him.

"So...what took you so long anyways?" she asked Sam, once again turning towards him with a smile.

"Oh, uh, it was no big deal," he replied hesitantly.

The smile quickly faded from her face, replaced by a look of suspicion. She wanted to ask him outright if he was lying, but she didn't want to upset him or start an argument. She stayed silent for a few moments, pondering an answer to her dilemma.

"What are you keeping from me, Sam?" she asked calmly.

"What? Nothing," he replied as innocently as he could.

She sighed lightly. "Why is it I don't believe you?"

He shifted his gaze for a moment. "After we finished off that case for Marcus, we met up with Bobby."

He'd already told her that on the phone, but she suspected there was more to it than that. She was going to ask him more about it, in hopes he would answer truthfully. But she wasn't in the mood to play games. She just wanted the truth.

"Is this about all the demon omens?"

"Huh? You know about that?" he asked with surprise.

She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "If you don't want me to keep secrets, then why are you?"

"Jessie—"

"Sam. I know you think it's going to upset me or something, but I'm a big girl."

"I know," he replied ruefully. "It wasn't my idea to keep it from you."

"It wasn't?" she said with surprise.

"No. It was Bobby's."

"Sonofabitch!"

"Jessie," he said, grasping her hands. "He's just worried about you."

She shifted her gaze for a moment feeling guilty, mumbling. "That's why I should've left all of you outta this."

"No. You know what Bobby would say, don't you?"

She had an idea, but she shook her head 'no' in response.

"We're family. And family's supposed to look out for each other."

She nodded in approval, but couldn't help frowning. Absentmindedly, she pulled one of her hands free of his grip, placing it on her belly. As she glanced down at her stomach, Sam gently lifted her chin so he could gaze into her eyes.

"I don't want you to worry," he said with determination. "We're not gonna let anything happen to you."

She smiled lightly, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She leaned in close to him, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around him. He immediately wrapped his arms around her firmly, kissing the top of her head. They were quiet for several minutes just holding each other, each of them silent with their own thoughts.

Sam wasn't nearly as confident as he was letting on. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so frightened. But he had to imagine it was when Dean was going to hell and there was no way he could stop it. He wasn't sure what he would do if something happened to Jessie. But he couldn't let that happen.

Jessie knew Sam was upset, which only served to upset her as well. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was frightened about her safety, and there was nothing she could do or say to make him feel better. The best thing she could do is keep herself as safe as possible, which is what she was trying to do. Strangely, it helped alleviate some of the guilt she was still feeling after her visit with Crowley.

Their moment was interrupted when Bobby walked into the room calling Sam's name. He seemed to be slightly distressed, but he kept his voice even and impassive.

"I need you to run an errand for me, Sam."

He raised his eyebrow slightly in surprise. "Where's Dean?"

"He's in the shower and this can't wait."

He kissed Jessie tenderly on the lips, gently stroking the side of her face as he did so. It was a brief kiss, but very meaningful. He didn't want to leave her again so soon. But whatever it was that Bobby needed was obviously important.

She watched Sam follow Bobby from the room with disappointment. She figured he wouldn't be gone long, but all she wanted to do was stay in his arms. She couldn't remember a time when she felt safer than every moment she spent wrapped in his arms. Maybe it was when she was little, before her parents were killed. But somehow she even doubted that.

Since it was late, she decided to head into the kitchen and make something to eat. She was close to the door when it flung open suddenly, coming face to face with Bobby, who backed up in surprise with an apology.

"I have to go out, too, Jess," he said quickly. "We shouldn't be long."

"Wait!" she said as he turned around to leave. "What's going on?"

He turned towards her again with impatience. "Nothing for you to worry about. Just tell Dean we'll be back soon."

She opened her mouth to ask him another question, but he turned around in a hurry and was almost out of earshot in mere moments. She wanted to chase after him and find out what was going on, but she knew there was no point. Even if she could catch up to him, she knew he'd never tell her. So she continued her way into the kitchen to make something to eat.

She was bent over looking in the fridge when she heard Dean walk into the kitchen. She straightened up, peeking her head around the corner of the door, asking him if he'd eaten. He looked at her curiously, answering with a curt, "no."

"I didn't pull anything out since I wasn't sure when you'd all be home. But I can make sandwiches if you'd like."

"Yeah, whatever," he replied, taking his seat at the kitchen table.

She ignored his abruptness, chalking it up to being hungry. She grabbed him a beer, which he thanked her for, but she sensed there was more to his attitude than just being hungry or tired. She wanted to continue ignoring it, but she couldn't just let it go.

"Is there something you'd like to say to me, Dean?" she asked as impassively as possible.

He glanced at her with a hard look, taking a sip of his beer before placing it back down on the table.

"I do. But what's the point?"

She snorted, shaking her head in disbelief. "Whatever it is, just say it, Dean."

"What? And break my _promise_ to Bobby?"

She looked at him knowingly and with deep regret, but it was only momentarily.

"How very passive aggressive of you, Dean," she replied with narrowed eyes.

He was silent for a moment, gazing at her pensively. "I could say the opposite about you. You're completely transparent."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"This. All of this," he said pointing to the Christmas lights. "It's all so obvious."

"Really?" she said with a raised eyebrow. "I'd really love to hear this."

He snorted derisively. "Do you really think that buying some presents and cooking a big meal is gonna make up for the crap you pulled?"

She snickered with utter disbelief. "So that's what you think this is about?" She watched him nod in agreement before continuing. "You couldn't be more wrong, Dean."

"Now who's fooling themselves?"

She shook her head in amazement. "You can believe what you want, but the truth is—never mind."

She turned away, her shoulders slumping slightly, fighting back tears. She didn't want to speak about it, much less think about it. However, she knew she had to say something or she was going to have to tell him the complete truth. And there was no way she wanted that.

She turned back around a few moments later, looking sorrowfully. She swallowed hard once, doing her best to keep her voice even and stop tears forming in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Dean. I know I swore I wouldn't hurt your brother, and that's exactly what I did."

He gazed at her shrewdly for a moment before standing up from his chair. "There's something else, isnt there?"

"What? You don't believe me?" she asked in surprise.

"No. I never said that," he replied frankly. "I know you didn't mean to hurt, Sam."

"Then what are you talking about?"

He took a few steps closer to her, almost coming face to face with her. "You were going to say something else and then you changed your mind. What was it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, feigning ignorance.

"Yeah, you do," he replied. "Why are you so adamant about celebrating Christmas?"

She sighed, hoping she wouldn't have to tell him the whole truth. "This is my first Christmas being a married woman. In fact, it's the first Christmas I've even wanted to celebrate since my grandmother died."

"What about your grandfather?"

She glanced away uneasily for a moment. "He didn't celebrate anything after she died."

"Oh," he replied.

"Yeah. It's been a very long time since I've had a Christmas," she said wistfully. "Half my life."

He began to feel ambivalent about his questioning, but he could feel there was still more she wasn't saying.

"I can understand that," he said honestly. "But there's still more to it, isn't there?"

"No. Why would you think that?" she asked with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

He snorted lightly. "You wanna know why?" He watched her nod her head, then took a step forward, grasping her by the lower arm. "Because I know you well enough to know that you're upset."

She snorted in disbelief. "You mean you _think_ you know me."

"No. I know you. You're exactly like me. You're trying to do anything you can to distract yourself from what you're feeling."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. And the problem is you can't drink your problems away like you normally do," he replied shrewdly.

She took a deep breath in an attempt to control herself. She knew he was exactly right. She was trying to avoid what she was thinking and he could see right through her. She should've known if anyone would notice it would be him. She had hoped she'd been hiding it well enough. But apparently it wasn't enough to hide from him.

"Fine. You're right," she said evenly.

He waited silently for a few moments, hoping he wouldn't have to coax an answer from her. But the longer he waited, the more he realized she wasn't just going to tell him what was bothering her. So he decided to try a different strategy.

"I never get used to hearing that," he said with a smirk. "Imagine that. I was right about something."

She rolled her eyes with a shake of her head, but she didn't take the bait.

He sighed loudly, squeezing her arm in support. "Why don't you just tell me what you were going to say? I'm not gonna just let it drop."

She bit her lip for a moment to fight back tears, before yanking her arms free of his grasp and turning around so she wouldn't have to face him. She was too afraid to talk about what she was feeling for fear that speaking about it out loud would make it true.

"I can't, Dean."

"Yes, you can," he replied supportively.

"No," she replied, violently shaking her head. "I really can't."

He knew she wasn't going to say anything unless he tried a different approach. After a few moments, he laid his hand on her shoulder for support, speaking gently. "We're family, Jessie. This is what family does."

She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a long, deep breath before opening her eyes and turning to face him.

"I'll tell you. But first you need to make me a promise."

"Uh, yeah, okay," he replied hesitantly.

"This doesn't go any farther than you and me. You can't tell Sam anything that I tell you."

He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not sure I can agree to that."

"Dammit, Dean! Why couldn't you just leave it alone?" she said frantically.

"What can I say? I'm a helluva guy," he replied, trying to lighten the mood.

She snorted with utter disbelief. "Fine. You wanted to know what I was going to say, so here goes." She took a long, deep breath to calm herself before continuing. "I want to try and have one normal Christmas, since it will probably be the last one I ever have."

"Jessie—"

"I'm not finished, Dean!" she shrieked. "I know that the three of you will do your best to save me and my son. But the truth is, I don't see this ending well for me. No matter what happens, I'm not gonna survive this. Whether it's while I'm pregnant, or after the baby is born. It's gonna end bloody for me. I know it. You know it. I think even Bobby and Sam knows it. But neither of them are going to admit it to themselves."

"No way. We're not gonna let that happen."

She snorted loudly. "Do you truly believe that? Or are you just saying that?"

He stood pensively for a moment before responding.

"Of course I believe it. We stopped the damned apocalypse. We can stop this too."

"I wish I could be as optimistic as you," she replied sadly.

"Don't tell me you've given up already? That doesn't sound like the Jessie I know."

She pursed her lips, forcing back tears. "I know you think you know me, Dean, but you don't. The only reason I didn't give up before was because I had a mission. Kill the thing that slaughtered my family. But things are different now."

"You're right. They are. Now you have something real to live for," he replied, his hands waving around animatedly, making his point. "If nothing else, you need to fight like hell for Sam and your kid."

She shifted her gaze away from him suddenly feeling guilty. It wasn't that she'd given up exactly. She just didn't have the same amount of faith as he seemed to have. She'd never thought of herself as lucky, so why would that suddenly change? Happily ever after always seemed to be for other people, unattainable for herself. She had fooled herself once. She didn't want to do it again.

"I haven't given up, Dean," she said, raising her gaze to meet his eyes. "I would never give up on Sam, or my baby. I'm just having a hard time seeing a happy ending to all of this."

If he was being honest with himself, he would've agreed with her. He was never one for being optimistic, but he was also never one to give up. And he knew he couldn't. This wasn't just about her, or the baby. But it was also about his brother. He didn't even want to imagine what might happen to Sam if he lost Jessie, or his son.

"I'll make you a deal," he said suddenly. "I won't tell Sam about this conversation as long as you promise not to give up."

She pondered his proposal for a moment before shaking her head in agreement.

"Thank you, Dean. It's more than I deserve."

"Hey. I don't think what you did was right. But I've had time to think about it, and...I understand," he said supportively. "You were protecting your kid, and Sam. I can't fault you for that."

She nodded lightly, with a hint of a smile. "Now. Do you want a sandwich, or what?" she asked, hoping it was the end of that subject.

"Are you kidding?" he asked with a grin. "When have you ever known me to turn down food?"

"Good answer," she replied with a chuckle.

She turned around and began gathering the things she needed from the fridge to make sandwiches, happy that that particular conversation was over and hopefully the end of it. She had to admit to herself that it did make her feel a little bit better to talk about it. However, she wasn't sure it had changed her mind quiet yet. At least she knew that Dean would do everything he could to make sure she was safe. Not that she had ever had any doubts about it before. It just seemed to make her feel better knowing for sure.

By the time she had finished making a few sandwiches, both Sam and Bobby had made it back to the house. Both were famished, so no business was talked about until after they'd eaten and had a beer. She sat down with them and ate a sandwich, longing to have a beer—or ten—as well. Although, she really longed for something stronger, like whiskey or vodka. But at this point, anything would have done. If nothing else, Dean had been completely right about that. She missed drinking her worries away. It was much more difficult being in control of her emotions when she was constantly sober.

After everyone was finished eating, Bobby made more excuses about being busy before taking off into his study. She wanted to follow him and demand he tell her what was going on, but she knew it would do no good. He was even more stubborn than she ever was, and no amount of guilt trips or reverse psychology had ever worked on him. And she was pretty sure it wasn't about to start working now.

After much coaxing, she decided to sit on the couch with Sam and watch a movie. She wasn't sure why he seemed to be so adamant about it, but his motives revealed themselves a short time later when both Bobby and Dean left the house. It was the moment she realized that he'd planned for them to have some alone time. But she wasn't quite in the mood to just go along with it so easily. She wanted him to work for it.

Not long into the movie, she began to complain that she wanted to watch something else. He looked at her strangely, but began looking for something else to watch. Everything he stopped on she didn't want to watch, or at least that was what she said. But when he was lucky enough to find her favorite movie of all time, he thought he was in the clear. But when she said she didn't want to watch it either, he realized something was going on.

"Is something wrong, Jess?" he asked as he took her hand into his.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sam," she replied.

"You don't want to watch your favorite movie and you have no idea what I'm talking about?"

She was still a bit irritated with him for disappearing and not telling her what was going on. And after her talk with Dean, she was feeling much more sensitive about things than she had been earlier. She definitely wanted to spend some time alone with him, but at the same time, she didn't like that he seemed to be keeping things from her.

"As much as I'd like to forget that you're keeping something from me, I can't."

He sighed before wrapping his arm around her and pulling her against his chest. "Could you give me the benefit of the doubt just this one time?"

She was quiet for a short time, pondering the answer to his question. He had forgiven her for what she'd done and given her the benefit of the doubt. How could she do any less for him?

"As long as you can promise me that it's not important," she finally replied.

He positioned his head so he could look into her eyes, brushing her cheek lightly with his hand. "I promise," he said with a nod of his head.

It was difficult, but she managed to wiggle herself into a better position. One where she was able to lean in an kiss him, which surprised him for a moment. She couldn't help smiling against his lips at the look on his face, telling her he'd expected her to do something entirely different than what she'd actually done. But once the momentary shock wore off, he kissed her back with longing.

They spent a very short time making out on the couch before it became uncomfortable for both of them. Sam attempted to pick her up from the couch, but she wouldn't allow that. She knew he was more than capable of carrying her, but with her extra weight she was a little self-concious, and maybe a little afraid as well. So instead, he took her hand, leading her up to the bedroom, where they made gentle, yet passionate love for hours, before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Jessie woke up the next morning shortly after the sun had begun its ascent over the horizon. As was usual, she needed to use the bathroom, but that wasn't what had waken her up for once. She thought she'd heard someone outside, but when she went to look out the bedroom window she didn't see anyone, or anything. She crept into the bathroom so she could look out that window as well and still didn't see anything. So she went to the bathroom before going through her usual routine, all the time keeping an ear out. Although, by this time she'd dismissed it as her imagination.

As she was about to exit the bathroom, she could've sworn she had heard someone walking around the house. She reached for the knife she kept strapped to her ankle—which was always there, except when she was in bed, where she would leave it underneath the pillow—and opened the bathroom door quietly. She slowly walked out of the bathroom, one careful step at a time, her knife gripped tightly in her hand. Heading towards the stairs, she pressed up against the wall beside the threshhold, positioning her hand in case she needed to strike. She was about to look around the doorway when she heard one of the stairs creak lightly. She slowed her breathing down, listening, readying herself, but as she stepped out of her spot to confront the intruder, she backed up before smacking into them, cursing loudly.

"What the hell, Bobby?!" she shrieked.

"You mind dropping your weapon?" he asked quietly.

She lowered her hand, glancing at him with suspicion and apprehension. "Why are you skulking around your own house?"

"I figured you and Sam would still be sleeping...or something else," he replied.

She was still for a moment before releasing the tight grip she had on the knife and relaxing her stance. She knew he was the real Bobby, but she was still suspicious. She could tell that he was hiding something from her.

"Where's your car?"

"It broke down not far from here. I hoofed it home."

"Where's Dean?"

"I dunno. Last I saw of him he was with some tall, blonde drink of water," he replied, slightly irritated. "What's with the twenty questions anyway?"

She narrowed her eyes. "You mean you can't see how I would find any of this suspicious?"

"Or maybe you're just being paranoid? Or overly sensitive?" he replied furtively.

She wasn't sure if he was mocking her or just being an ass. Either way, she wasn't in the mood. She glared at him for a moment before placing her knife back into its sheath then heading down into the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

She was standing at the kitchen counter chopping some onions she planned on using in an omelette when Sam swept into the kitchen, coming to stand behind her. He placed his hands on her hips, nuzzling up to her and began nibbling on her neck gently. She stopped chopping, closing her eyes for a moment to enjoy the pleasure coursing through her body by his gentle touch, but the sound of something dropping onto the floor upstairs was enough to snap her back to reality.

"Sam," she said giddily. "Bobby is home."

"We're married, Jessie," he replied with disappointment.

"I know, but, it's Bobby," she said, turning around to face him with a giddy smile. "It just feels weird."

He brushed a stray hair from her face, tracing a line down her cheek making her sigh with pleasure. He leaned in close, grasping her firmly with his arms, kissing her slowly and deeply. She allowed herself to be swept up in the moment, completely forgetting everything around her for the moment. It wasn't until she began to feel nauseous that she backed off, apologizing profusely.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

She nodded her head before running upstairs into the bathroom to get sick.

She was brushing her teeth when Sam swept into the room, placing a hand on her back supportively. He didn't have to say anything, she could see his look of concern in the mirror.

"I'm okay, Sam. Really," she said as she set her toothbrush in its holder. "I still get sick sometimes."

"Is that, uh, normal?" he asked hesitantly.

She smiled, turning around to face him. "Completely normal."

"You sure?"

She chuckled. "You love to research things. Why don't you go read up on pregnancy and get back to me?" she teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Is that a challenge?" he teased in return.

"Only if you think you're up for it," she replied with a grin.

He smiled, pulling her closer, kissing her on the forehead. "Why don't I finish breakfast?"

The thought of breakfast now made her naseous, so she agreed, albeit reluctantly. She knew he could cook, and he was a decent cook, but she still preferred cooking for herself.

She sat down at the table while he finished chopping the onions he'd interrupted her cutting earlier. She was still feeling lousy, and the smell of the onions was making her want to get sick again. She closed her eyes in an attempt to fight off another wave of nauseousness, but that didn't seem to help. It was then that idea occurred to her.

"Sam," she called. "I'm gonna take a walk out in the yard."

He turned around looking confused. "Huh? Why?"

"I still feel sick. Maybe all I need is some fresh air," she replied.

His look of confusion quickly turned to a look of concern. "Are you sure it's safe walking in the yard alone?"

She smiled as she walked over to him, placing her on his shoulder. "I'll be fine. I won't be long. And...I'll take weapons."

He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her gently on the lips for a moment. "You can't blame a man for being concerned."

She smiled teasingly. "If you were any other man, yeah, I could."

He smiled in return, but it wasn't as warm as hers. He was still worried. "Well, if it'll make you feel better, then okay."

She smiled, patting him on the back reassuringly then walked to the coat rack to fetch her coat. She put it on, showing Sam she had weapons with her before heading out into the frosty morning air. She had one destination in mind, and she headed there with determination. It wasn't the fresh air she needed, although it would help, it was something else. Something she hoped was awaiting her in the shed.

**A/N: Seems that Jessie isn't the only one with secrets, does it? And what do you think she's up to? Will update again soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

After her trip out to the shed, Jessie was feeling much better. Her nausea was gone once again and it was nice to get out of Bobby's house, even if it was only for a few minutes. She took her time walking back, just to enjoy the cold, brisk air and the freedom of being alone. She still enjoyed her solitude from time to time, just not when it's forced upon her.

The Impala was pulling into the yard by the time she made it to the front step. Dean grinned at her as he climbed out of the car, making her narrow her eyes suspiciously. She wanted to believe he was just smiling because he was in a good mood, but something in the way he was grinning made her think something else was going on.

"Looks like someone got lucky last night," she remarked as she walked with him to the door.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked with a grin.

She opened the door, holding it for him. "You could say that."

He grinned wider as he walked into the house, moving aside so she could walk in behind him. He hung his coat up, reaching for her coat as she took it off.

"Nothing's easier than nailing a lonely chick at Christmastime," he said as he hung her coat up for her. "Except Valentine's day."

She rolled her eyes as he turned around to face her. "You mean, unattached drifter christmas?"

"How did you...?"

"Know about that?" she said with a chuckle. "Who else?"

"Sam," he answered knowingly.

She chuckled before heading into the kitchen.

Sam was setting a plate down at her spot at the table when she walked in. He glanced up at her with a bright smile, pulling out her chair for her.

She smiled brightly as she sat down at the table. "Thank you, Sam."

"Does that mean you're feeling better?" he asked, handing her a fork he'd grabbed from the counter after he pushed in her chair.

She took the fork from him, smiling gratefully. "Yup. I guess I just needed some fresh air."

"Good," he replied with relief, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Where's mine?" Dean asked as he flopped himself onto his usual chair at the table.

His brother rolled his eyes. "I'm not your personal chef, Dean."

"I see how it is," he began to tease. "Now you have a woman so you forget all about your big brother."

He snorted. "I forgot about you long before that."

"Ha, ha," he laughed mockingly.

He watched his wife eat for a few moments, squeezing her shoulder supportively, then walked to the counter and began to crack some eggs into a bowl.

"Fine, Dean. I guess I can make an exception this time," he teased.

"Well thank you, chef," he teased back.

He turned his head and shot his brother a dirty look before continuing to crack eggs.

Jessie finished eating her omelette while Sam cooked one for his brother as well as himself. And when Sam sat down to eat, she got up and began making one for Bobby, even though he was still upstairs and hadn't come down since she'd seen him earlier. When it was finished, she attempted to go upstairs to get him, but Sam quickly got up from the table and stopped her. He told her she should relax and he would go get him, but she wasn't buying it. Something strange was going on, and she was determined to find out what.

She returned to her seat at the table, sitting there until everyone was finished eating, then she cleaned up and washed all of the dishes while everyone else stayed seated at the table, drinking coffee and talking. And although she'd hoped that keeping her hands busy would keep her mind busy, it didn't end up working like that. She was still suspicious. She knew Bobby and Sam were hiding something from her, and probably Dean as well. And she really wanted to know what was going on. She just wasn't sure how to go about getting an answer from them, so she sat at the table with them in hopes she could find something out.

They all sat at the table for a short time, Bobby leaving first about five minutes later and then Dean about five minutes after him. Both went in the same direction, upstairs. She attempted to follow them, but Sam got up from the table, standing in her way.

"Is something going on, Sam?" she asked, her hands resting on her hips.

"Uh, no," he replied quickly. "Why would you think that?"

"Seriously? You have no idea?" she asked rhetorically. "It's the second time in two days that the three of you are acting strange, and you can't see why I would think that way?"

He rolled his eyes, sighing loudly. "Fine. I was gonna wait until later to tell you, but I guess I have to now."

"Tell me what?"

"We're going out shortly," he replied tersely.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Nope. It's a surprise."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at first, then with curiosity. "I don't really like surprises, Sam."

He smiled mirthlessly for a moment. "I know. But you're gonna have to deal with it."

She shot him a pouty look before sitting down at the table with her arms crossed. She knew it wasn't dignified, but she wasn't really in the mood for surprises. With everything that was going on, surprises were the last thing she wanted, or needed. And although she knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt her, she thought there was more going on.

After making her promise to stay in the kitchen, Sam headed upstairs. She wanted to follow him desperately, but he'd made her promise and she wasn't going to break any more promises if she could help it. So as curious as she was, she did exactly what he asked of her. She even sat at the table and didn't move.

It was almost twenty minutes before he came back down the stairs, carrying a suitcase with him. She gazed at him suspiciously and with expectation, hoping he'd explain himself before she even had to open her mouth.

"Let's go," he said with a grin.

"Where are we going?" she asked impassively.

He set the suitcase down at his feet before walking over to her, reaching out his hand in expectation. "We're gonna spend the night at a hotel. But first, I'm taking you somewhere special."

She glanced at his outstretched hand, but didn't budge from her seat. "You do know tomorrow is Christmas Eve, right?"

He nodded once, but looked at her with confusion.

"I have a lot of baking and things to do for Christmas, so now is not the time to be going anywhere."

He smiled in amusement. "I promise I'll have you back in time to cook."

"As long as you promise," she replied with a slight grin.

She wanted to be more difficult, but she had become intrigued. So she took his hand, allowing him to help her up from the chair and leading her over to the coat rack. He took her coat down from the rack and held it for her so she could put it on easily, then retrieved the suitcase from the floor.

"Um, what's in the suitcase?" she asked as she zipped up her coat.

"Clothes and stuff, what else?" he replied sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm not gonna get a straight answer from you today, am I?"

He smiled furtively. "Now you're getting it."

She pursed her lips for a moment before shaking her head. It wasn't worth the effort, so she decided not to even bother trying to figure out what he was up to. Instead, she opened the door and held it for him, since he was carrying a suitcase, following him to her car. And since she had no idea where they were going, she waited by the passenger side while he put the suitcase in the trunk.

"Hey! Where'd you get my keys?" she asked.

He grinned mischieviously. "I snaked them outta your pocket earlier."

She narrowed her eyes in mock irritation. "Nothing's sacred with you, is it?"

He laughed heartily. "You know I would never do anything to hurt her."

"If you think Dean's protective over his car..."

"Yeah, I get it," he replied with a slight roll of his eyes. "A painful, excrutiating death."

She waited impatiently for him to unlock the door, whining about the cold. She was only teasing him, but he took on a horrified look which made her feel somewhat guilty. She wasn't sure if he had been teasing her in return, but she apologized all the same. He shook it off, playing cool, but something in his tone made it seem like he was upset. So she smiled at him reassuringly, hoping to alleviate his concern. He returned her smile, but it didn't seem to be as bright as before. She decided not to tease him about anything that might be connected to her well being again, or, at least until the baby was born. She didn't like to intentionally upset him. And besides, it was his smile that she wanted to see. No matter how she felt, his smile always served to brighten her mood, even in the worst situation.

She was quiet as he drove through town, but as he began heading out of town she again inquired about their destination. He still wouldn't give her a straight answer so she began to pout. But then a good song came on the radio, so she decided to sing instead. And when the song was over, she flipped through the stations until she found another good song, which continued for the remainder of the trip.

Her singing stopped abruptly when Sam pulled the Caprice into the parking lot of a strip mall. It wasn't a large strip mall, it only occupied five businesses, the largest of which he parked the car in front of.

She was glancing at him curiosity as he turned off the car, turning his gaze towards her with a furtive grin.

"Merry Christmas!"

Her eyes gazed back at him with bewilderment, a bright smile creeping across her face. She tried hard not to, but his smile was infectious.

"You're taking me for a spa day?"

"Yeah. I thought you could use a day of being pampered."

She couldn't deny a spa day sounded great, but that little voice in her head wouldn't shut up. It told her there was something more going on. Possibly something they wanted her out of the way for. However, she wasn't going to let that ruin her day. Sam had obviously put some thought into this gift and she wasn't going to ruin it just because she was suspicious. Besides, if something was going on, it would be there later. She could deal with it then.

She reached over, placing her hand on his, smiling happily. "I love you, Sam."

His smile widened. "I guess that means you like your present?"

"No, Sam," she replied with a wide smile. "I love it."

"You do?" he asked with surprise.

She chuckled lightly. "Definitely."

He quickly unbuckled himself before getting out of the car and walking over to the passenger side to open the door for her. Extending his hand, he gently helped her out of the car, pulling her into an embrace and kissing her lightly. When he released her, her face was flushed and she was breathing heavily.

"Wow! What did I do to deserve this?" she asked breathlessly.

He smiled lovingly, brushing away the hair that the wind had blown across her face. "It's cold out here. Let's get you inside," he replied with a smile.

She smiled warmly and took his hand, allowing him to lead her into the spa.

The first thing she noticed was how warm and inviting it was inside. The blonde lady that greeted them was perky, perhaps a bit too perky for her. She'd always been suspicious of people who seemed to be a bit too cheery and this woman was no exception. However, she was in a great mood so she wasn't going to let anything interfere with it, even her paranoia.

After Sam spoke with the receptionist at length, she took Jessie's coat and hung it up for her, before directing her into large chair with a foot bath. It had been a very long time since she'd had a pedicure, she wasn't even sure how gnarly her toes might look. Hell, she couldn't even remember the last time she had clipped her toenails, let alone look after them.

Sam kissed her lightly on the cheek before he explained he was leaving for a short time. He promised she'd be looked after and that he would be back before she even realized he was gone. And while she didn't believe that was true, she smiled warmly in agreement, hoping to give him peace of mind. She noticed he seemed to be a bit tense and she didn't want to contribute to it.

After he left, two women came over to her chair to work on her nails. One began working on her fingernails, while the other was working on her toenails. It felt very unusual for her to be so vulnerable and exposed, but she had to keep telling herself this was something she needed to help her relax, no matter how difficult it seemed.

After her manicure and pedicure, they gave her a facial. She'd never had one before so it was a new experience. In the beginning she thought she wasn't going to enjoy it, but after she gave in to her doubts, she found that she enjoyed it very much. She was so relaxed, her mind actually forgot all of her problems. And when it came time for a full body massage, she was too relaxed to worry about her dignity. They did have to adjust how it was done since she was pregnant, but she wasn't the first pregnant lady they'd ever worked on so it wasn't an issue.

She ended up spending more than three hours at the spa, although it didn't seem that long to her. She'd enjoyed herself so much she didn't even want to leave. But when Sam finally came to pick her up she was ecstatic to see him. In fact, she was so happy she couldn't stop smiling, although she was postive some of that had to do with the fact she'd just spent the last three hours being the most relaxed she'd ever been in her life.

"You look great," Sam said as he pulled her into his arms, kissing her once gently on the lips.

"I feel great," she replied with a beaming smile.

He returned her smile. "See. I knew this is what you needed."

"Yeah," she said with a teasing grin. "Who woulda thought Sam Winchester was so intuitive and in touch with a woman's needs."

He smiled, snorting lightly. "Yeah, you're feeling better."

She smiled, slipping from his embrace and taking his hand. "I'm ready for my next surprise."

He gazed at her curiously with a half smile. "Who says there's another surprise?"

She wanted to tease him, so she attempted to look as serious as possible when she spoke, but she was in too good of a mood to pull it off. She couldn't help but grin.

"You mean this is all you got for me?"

He smiled, shaking his head lightly. "You're so cute when you're trying to get information."

"Balls," she uttered quietly.

He chuckled as he led her from the spa and out to the car. Opening the door for her, he helped her in before climbing into the driver's side and began driving away, silently.

She was curious where he was taking her, but she had one idea. It had been a few hours since she'd eaten, so she could only hope he realized she needed something to eat soon.

As the car pulled into the driveway of a large—and very expensive—hotel, she was really curious what he was up to. He'd been so hesitant on spending her money in the past, although they were married and now half was his as well, but she knew this hotel was way past what he could afford. It wasn't that she minded, in fact she was actually pleased. It just seemed strange for him to just suddenly begin spending her money at such a rate. It just added more fuel to her suspicion.

She was quiet as the valet took her car, as she walked into the hotel hand in hand with Sam, while he checked them into their room, and the entire way up to their room. She was trying desperately to ignore the suspicion that continued to pop into her mind, but she was feeling ambivalent about the day's events. She was happy Sam was treating her to a special day, and she had definitely enjoyed it so far. But she was positive something was going on. Something no one wanted her to know about. It made it difficult to enjoy herself completely, and she really was trying.

After their suitcases were put away, Sam lead Jessie downstairs into the large—and extremely fancy—restaurant. She now knew why he had insisted she wear something a little fancier after her massage, otherwise she would have been severly under dressed. She was still quiet, only answering his questions as tersely as possible, not wanting to give away her displeasure. But once they were finally seated at their table, in a quiet corner, she finally decided to broach the subject.

"I don't want to ruin this moment, Sam," she began, watching his expression change from happy to curious. "But something's been bothering me all day."

"What's that?"

"Are you hiding something from me I should know about?" she blurted out.

"Jessie—"

"Please, Sam. I don't want to fight with you," she said with a sigh. "It's just been nagging at me. And I just want to get past it so I can enjoy my time with you."

He sighed, gazing at her pleadingly. "I know it's probably too much to ask, but do you think you could just let it go? For one day?"

She shook her head lightly. "Your puppy dog eyes won't work with me, Sam."

He sighed, smiling slightly in disbelief. "I should've known you couldn't leave it alone."

"So are you gonna tell me?"

"Do you really hate surprises that much?" he teased.

"Sam!" she groaned.

"Fine. But just remember you asked for it," he replied, earning him an irritated look. "We are hiding something from you, _but_, it's not what you think. It's a Christmas present for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," he replied. "And now you've ruined the surprise."

She grinned, reaching across the table to place her hand on his. "It's not like you told me what it is."

He was silent for a moment, mulling something over in his mind. "You're right. Now promise me you won't ask me about it again."

"Fine. I promise," she replied with a smile.

He took her hand into his, squeezing it firmly. "Now that it's straightened out, do you think you can just sit back and relax the rest of the day—and night?"

She gazed at him with a thoughtful look before grinning teasingly. "That all depends on you."

"With you, I guess it's as close as I'm gonna get," he replied with a grin.

"You know it," she said with a chuckle.

"What would I do without you?" he asked.

"You'd definitely be bored," she teased.

The couple spent a few hours in the restaurant enjoying their six course meal. It was actually the first time Jessie had had such a luxurious meal, and she was pretty sure it was Sam's first time as well. She was just glad he had better table manners than Dean. The last thing she'd want to do is go to a fancy restaurant with him.

After dinner they headed up to their room. Jessie was tired and relaxed after her day and all she really wanted to do was sleep, but she knew Sam had other plans. She wanted to make it more difficult for him, but she couldn't. Not after all he'd done for her. So even though she was tired, she couldn't turn him away when he touched her so tenderly. They made love for a short time before cuddling up in bed and falling asleep in each other's arms.

Jessie woke up early the next morning. She wanted to continue sleeping, but she couldn't. She even climbed back into bed after she used the washroom, but she wasn't able to find sleep. She didn't want to wake Sam up since he was sleeping so soundly, but she was bored. He was lying on his side facing away from her, so she snuggled up behind him and began to run her fingers through her hair. She was still amazed by how soft his hair always was, especially since he never did anything special to it.

She ran her fingers through his hair for some time, hoping that the repetition of it would help her doze off again, but it didn't have that effect. It didn't even wake him up, although he did moan a few times. After a short time she became too frustrated to lay down any longer, so she climbed back out of bed and headed into the main room to watch the early morning news.

She was just about to turn the TV on when an abrupt noise that sounded like flapping wings startled her, making her jump in surprise.

"Castiel!" she exclaimed quietly, surprised by his sudden appearance only a few feet away from her.

"Hello, Jessie," he replied nonchalantly.

"What? How? How did you find me?" she stammered, backing away from him slightly.

"Dean told me where you were."

She gazed at him with curiosity for a moment, waiting, before her look turned into one of confusion.

"Is there something you need?" she asked.

"I have some news that I wanted to share with you."

"And it couldn't wait?"

He looked at her with surprise for a moment. "I assumed you would want to hear this immediately."

She wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he had to say, but what choice did she have? She gazed at him with a confident look, hoping he couldn't see right through her.

"Sure," she said before sitting down on the couch.

He waited until she was seated comfortably before speaking.

"I've managed to find a few of Meg's closest minions and we're keeping a close eye on them," he began. "We haven't been able to find Meg herself, but we're confident it's only a matter of time."

"Wait a minute," she interrupted. "What do you mean by, _we_?"

"The angels, of course," he replied matter-of-factly.

"The angels?" she said, her voice shaking slightly. "They know?"

"Yes, they are aware of everything. I suppose I should have told you that first."

"You suppose?" she said with agitation, standing up from the couch abruptly. "What the hell am I gonna do now?"

"You need to calm down, Jessie," he said with a soothing voice. "Everything is fine."

She snorted. "That's easy for you to say."

It wasn't what she wanted to say, or what she felt like saying, but it's what managed to come out of her mouth. She wanted to tell him off for even attempting to tell her to calm down, she hated being told that by anyone for any reason.

"I apologize," he said looking slightly ashamed. "Please give me a moment to explain."

She glared at him angrily for a moment, until she calmed down, then returned to sitting on the couch.

"Things have changed up in heaven since, well, since I tried to open purgatory," he began to explain. "It's much like a democracy up there now, since there is no one who really qualifies to rule over heaven, except for our father. I had no other choice than to notify them about the child, since it is an issue that could be dangerous for all of us. If the demons get their hands on him, there's no telling what could happen."

"So, they're not gonna kill me?" she asked with astonishment.

"No. At least, not for the moment."

"What?"

"At this time, your son is not a threat. That may change in the future, but for now, we are going to do everything to keep you safe."

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion and disbelief. "How? How are you going to do that?"

"As I stated earlier, we have a plan."

"And that is...?" she asked, hoping to coax an answer out of him.

He grinned slightly in amusement. "Since Crowley is still out for Meg's head and vice versa, we're attempting to lure each of them out where the other can find them."

"So your plan is to keep them busy fighting with each other so they don't have time to worry about my baby?"

"Exactly."

She sat stoically for a short time, pondering his solution. She wasn't sure if it was a great plan, but it did have its merits. If Crowley were able to take care of Meg, then she wouldn't have to worry about her. But if Meg were out of the way, would Crowley have a more vested interest in getting his hand on her child than he did right now? That was worrisome. But what choice did she have? At least it was a plan. It was better than any solution she'd come up with.

"Why, Castiel?"

"You don't like our plan?" he asked with confusion, cocking his head to the side slightly.

He reminded her so much of a puppy at that moment she had to resist the urge to grin.

"No, it's not that," she replied hesitantly. "Why are you doing this?"

He gazed at her with confusion once again. "I already answered that the last time we spoke."

"Yeah, I know. But there has to be more to it than that. You were pretty vague."

"I don't..."

"Know what I'm getting at?" she said, finishing his sentence.

He nodded his head once.

"I know you must feel bad for what you did to Sam, but it's gotta be much more than that. Especially since you would've had to fight for me and my child up in heaven."

He gazed at her strangely for a moment, a grin slowly creeping across his face. "I owe the Winchesters my life. However, there is more." She smiled triumphantly as he continued speaking. "While I feel a strong connection to both of the Winchesters, I have a much deeper connection with Dean. And you very much remind me of him."

It wasn't the first time someone had said the very same thing, only now it seemed much stranger, perhaps creepier. Since it was, after all, Sam who had said the same thing about her, not once, but several times. She didn't even know what to make of it.

"Uh, okay," she said while shifting on the couch uncomfortably.

He gazed at her scrutinizingly, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

"You blame yourself for your family's deaths, don't you?" he asked rhetorically. "Yet you know that it isn't your fault. You carry so much of that burden around with you. And you try to keep people at arms length because you're afraid of getting hurt." He noticed her facial expression changing from curiosity to irritation and the last thing he wanted to do was upset her, so he decided to try something he'd been working on. "And you like to use sarcasm as a weapon. I've heard that you're much funnier than Dean."

She narrowed her eyes in surprise, a strange grin creeping across her face.

"Well I can't deny that," she said with a chuckle.

He smiled, pleased with himself that his 'plan' had worked as well as he'd hoped.

"Is there anything else you need to ask me before I leave?" he asked.

She couldn't think of anything she wanted to ask him at the moment because she was still a little overwhelmed with all the information he'd already given her, especially now that she felt a little weird about the Dean connection. The last thing she wanted was an angel hovering over her, popping in when she least expected it. She imagined it had to be better than conspiring with Crowley, but she wasn't sure how much better. From everything she'd heard, she wasn't sure she wanted to trust an angel anymore than she wanted to trust a demon.

"No. I think I'm good."

He smiled, wishing her a Merry Christmas before disappearing quickly, only the sound of flapping wings announcing his departure.

She sat in silence for a short time to ponder Castiel's plan for the demons. She definitely wanted Meg out of the way, but she wasn't sure that serving her up to Crowley would work. She wasnt that foolish—or stupid—or Crowley would've dealt with her a long time ago. But on the other hand, if Crowley was kept busy than she wouldn't have to deal with him. Or at least she hoped.

Eventually she came to the decision that it might be in her best interest to have the angels looking out for her. Although she doubted that they could keep Meg and Crowley out of her way for long, at least if they were kept busy she might stand a chance to deliver her child safely. That was what she was concerned with at the moment. Worrying about keeping the child away from the demons after he was born would be the next problem to deal with.

Surprisingly, she felt much more optimistic after her visit with the angel. So much so, she was able to climb back into bed with Sam and drift off to sleep again. It didn't matter she'd wanted to get back to Bobby's to begin her baking. She felt so completely relieved about her situation for the moment, that she just didn't care about the work that was awaiting her.

It was only a short time after she'd managed to drift off again that Sam woke her up. He had no clue she'd been awake earlier and he was afraid she'd be upset if he let her sleep too late, since she'd notified him of her desire to return to Bobby's house early in the day. She only smiled at him, although she was more tired than she had been previously.

"Good morning, Jessie," he said, snuggling up close to her, whispering gently into her ear as he brushed hair from her face.

"Good morning, Sam," she said, greeting him with a bright smile.

"I was afraid to let you sleep any longer."

She smiled lovingly, brushing his face with her fingertips. "It's okay."

"Are you sure?" he asked with concern. "You still look tired."

"Yeah, I'm sure," she replied with a light smile. "Besides, we have something to talk about."

"Oh?" he said in surprise.

She chuckled lightly. "We can talk about it in the shower."

"Mmmm, I like the sound of that," he replied with a seductive grin.

She rolled her eyes playfully, grinning. "Maybe I should make it a cold one."

He laughed as he climbed out of bed then dashed towards the bathroom, looking back as he made it to the door and telling her to hurry before disappearing inside.

She gazed in the direction of the bathroom for a few moments with a wide smile on her face. This was the happiest she'd been in quite some time and she didn't really want it to end. But she'd made such a big deal out of having Christmas, she knew she couldn't back out of it now. So she climbed out of bed and followed Sam into the bathroom.

**A/N: I'm hoping there are no errors or typos since I only proofread it once. Normally I read it over several times, but it's taken me so long to even get this chapter written that I wanted to post it quickly. I promise to get some more action in there very soon.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

After they were done showering and getting dressed, Sam and Jessie enjoyed having breakfast in their room before they began the long drive back to Bobby's house. This time, Jessie wouldn't allow Sam to drive her car. She missed being able to drive so she wanted to do it as much as she could.

Their talk in the shower had been brief, since Sam had had other things in mind. But they did manage to discuss Castiel's visit over breakfast. And during the drive neither of them spoke much, each mulling things over in their mind.

Sam still had some trust issues with Cas, but after all that they'd been through he believed that he would do his best to keep his wife and child safe. He owed him at least that much. He had to believe Cas knew how he felt and what it would do to him if something happened to her. Now that he had found someone who loved him despite his flaws—and his lifestyle—he couldn't let her go. And although he would never admit it to anyone, even to his brother, but if he had to choose between the life of his child and the life of his wife, he would choose her. He just hoped it would never come to that.

Jessie wasn't really thinking much about the angel's visit while she drove. She was actually trying not to think about her problems for once. But as hard as she tried, the baby seemed to have other plans. He was busily moving around and kicking her, keeping her mind on what she was trying to forget about.

They were just outside of Sioux Falls when the battery light on the car came on. She didn't notice it at first, until the radio began making a strange sound and the dash lights began flickering.

"Shit!"

"What's wrong, Jess?"

She ignored him while she pulled the car over onto the paved shoulder. Once the car had stopped, she looked at him, doing her best to keep the irritation and frustration from her voice.

"My damn alternator is dead," she explained. "Could you call Dean and ask him to bring me one?"

He glanced at her strangely. "You could always call him."

She rolled her eyes before unbuckling herself.

"Yeah, well I'm gonna take out the old one while I'm waiting Sam," she said before glancing at him sarcastically. "Unless you wanna do it?"

He opened his mouth to respond then thought better of it. Instead, he grabbed the phone from his jacket pocket and called his brother.

Jessie pulled the keys from the ignition and popped the hood before climbing out of the car. She winced at the cold for a moment as she walked to the trunk, opened it and began searching through her tool box for the tools she would need. After she had what she needed, she walked around to the front of the car and lifted the hood to its highest position then set her tools down in various spots so they wouldn't fall. By this time, Sam had climbed out of the car and walked around to the hood to see what she was doing.

"I called him. He says it'll take a few to find a working one to fit your car, but he says it shouldn't take too long."

"Okay. Thanks, Sam," she replied.

"Uh, Jessie," he said hesitantly. "Are you sure that's what's wrong with the car?"

She narrowed her eyes at him furiously. "Are you asking me if I know how to fix my own car?"

"No. Not at all," he replied quickly. "It's just, strange, ya know. Flickering lights. Radio static."

She gazed at him strangely for a moment, finally realizing what he was trying to say.

She chuckled. "No, Sam, it's not strange. It wasn't demons. I noticed the battery light was on. It's just the alternator."

"Are you're positive?"

"If I wasn't wanted by demons, I might laugh at how little you know about cars, Sam," she replied with a grin.

"Hey! I can change a tire."

"That's so cute, Sam," she mocked with a grin. "You're not completely useless."

He rolled his eyes heavily. "If you need my help I'll be standing over here."

She glanced at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Sam. Sometimes I don't know when to stop teasing."

He took a few steps towards her, kissing her on the forehead. "I know. It's okay."

She shot him a loving smile before she went back to the task at hand, removing the alternator.

Thirty minutes later, the alternator was still in the car. Between a rusted bolt and her semi-frozen hands, she was having a difficult time. And although she figured Sam would be able to take out a bolt without any trouble, after all her teasing she didn't think it was right to ask him for help.

"Is Dean on his way yet?" she snapped, her voice laced with unintentional irritation.

"Yeah. He just texted me," he replied quickly, hoping to appease her. But as he glanced over at her, he noticed she seemed to be slightly distressed. "Are you okay?"

She hated to admit when she needed help. She'd never found it easy to ask, or accept. But she was too cold to worry about her pride at the moment. So she set her tools down, took a few steps towards Sam and placed her hands in his pockets where his own hands were.

"Damn! You're hands are freezing!" he said, moving his hands around in his pocket to help warm hers up.

She snuggled up close to him in an attempt to get warm, but he felt just as cold as she did.

"I hope Dean gets here soon. One of the bolts are rusted and I can't get it off."

"Do you want me to try?"

She smiled, but shook her head. "Nah. You can just try and keep me warm."

"Why don't we wait in the car?" he suggested.

She nodded her head and was about to say something when the couple heard footsteps behind them. Out of habit—and paranoia—they separated as they turned to face the two men who approached, their hands moving close to their nearest weapon.

"Do you need any help?" asked the dark haired man.

Jessie glanced uneasily at Sam. She didn't like the looks of the two men, for no reason other than she felt a strange vibe coming from them.

"No, thanks. We're fine," she replied as sweetly as she could.

"Are you sure?" the light haired man asked. "A pregnant lady shouldn't be out here working in this cold."

"She's fine," Sam snapped.

The moment the man mentioned her pregnancy she became even more suspicious. She didn't think she was big enough that it was easily recognizable under her large winter coat, although she could be wrong. She wasn't even sure how to let Sam know her suspicions without just coming right out and saying it. She hoped a single glance would work, which she shot at him while she brushed hair behind her ear. She wasn't sure if he understood, but at least he didn't return her look with one of confusion.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But thanks," she added. "My brother-in-law is on his way."

The mere mention of Dean made the men glance at each other almost in panic, and give themselves away as demons.

Jessie immediately reached for her gun as they began to advance, while Sam reached for Ruby's knife, which he had stashed in his jacket pocket. He gripped it tightly, stepping protectively in front of Jessie.

"Are we gonna have to do this the hard way?" taunted the light haired demon.

"Why don't you go back to hell!" Sam replied furiously.

"Been there, done that. Not planning on going there again any time soon," he replied.

The dark haired demon shot him an irritated glance before once again looking at Sam. "All we want is the girl. Hand her over and no one has to get hurt."

"The only one who's gonna get hurt here is you!" Sam yelled.

The demon laughed malevolently as it began to advance on the couple.

Jessie immediately shot at the demon who was farther away, while Sam took on the one who was closest to him. He swung the knife at him, but the demon managed to dodge the blow, landing a kick to his ribcage which sent him down to the ground on his knees. He kicked him again, which sent him flying a few feet backwards, the knife flying out of his hand.

"Sam!" she yelled, shooting the demon as she took a few steps backwards.

"We don't want to hurt you," said the light haired demon as he dodged one of the bullets she shot towards him.

"The same can't be said for me!" she yelled before shooting him in the head.

He laughed maniacally as he turned his attention towards Sam, who was attempting to fight off the other demon with only his bare hands.

Jessie panicked, emptying her whole clip on the demon, which had little effect other than to piss him off. He turned his attention towards her instead, advancing quickly. She fumbled in her pocket for her spare clip, but her hands were still cold and numb, making it difficult to grasp. She managed to get her fingers around it, just in time for the demon to catch up to her and reach for her. She managed to swing at him before he could grab a hold of her arms, her fist connecting with his face, but he managed to get a hold around her waist with one hand, his other hand grasping her by the hair.

"Let go of me you sonofabitch!" she shrieked as he pulled her head back forcefully.

"Jessie!" Sam yelled as he fought back harder against the demon who was pummeling him.

When the demon realized his partner had Jessie, he punched Sam once really hard in the head, hard enough to knock him unconcious, his limp body lying in the cold snow.

"Let's go," he ordered the other demon.

"Sam!" she cried, attempting to pull free of the demon's grip, but he was much too strong for her. He only gripped her tighter, while the demons laughed with pleasure. However, their revelry only lasted a moment. They stopped the moment they heard a loud noise that sounded like a crack of thunder, both eyeing each other nervously.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Crowley said as he suddenly appeared in front of the demons.

The demons stopped in their tracks, the one holding Jessie tightening his hold on her.

"I shouldn't have to tell you how this is going to end up for the two of you," Crowley taunted.

"She's ours. We're taking her to Meg," replied the demon who was holding Jessie.

"My friend here," he said, patting what looked like the air, "begs to differ."

They heard the unmistakeable growl of a hellhound causing both of them to flinch, shooting each other terror filled glances.

"What's it gonna be? Chew toy for my pet? Or smoke out?"

The demon holding Jessie loosened his grip enough for her to slip out of his grasp. She had spied Ruby's knife not far from where she was standing, so she managed to grab it, deftly striking the nearest demon in the back while he was distracted, killing it instantly. The remaining demon smoked out of his host, the body falling to the ground with a loud thump. She glanced at the body sadly, realizing that he was already dead.

"You should learn to be more careful," Crowley said as he glared at Jessie.  
>She returned his glare with malice. "How the hell did you find me?"<p>

"I'd imagine the same way the other demons found you. They know you're around here and they just got lucky."

"So you're saying you found me by luck?"

"No. Of course not."

"Then how?"

He sighed. "I was watching them and they were watching you."

A quiet moan snapped Jessie back to reality. She dashed over to Sam, squatted down beside him and lifted his head into her lap, brushing snow from his hair.

"I'm not going to thank you, Crowley, but I will warn you," she said with narrowed eyes. He opened his eyes widely with intrigue. "You better leave before Dean gets here."

"Not a single thank you from a Winchester. Somehow I'm not surprised," he mocked. "Either way, you better be careful. Meg will know where you are now."

"I can take care of myself."

"Clearly," he replied sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes before turning her attention towards Sam. She called his name quietly, but with concern, a few times, while stroking his hair lightly. When she glanced back in the direction where Crowley had been standing only moments before, she noticed he had disappeared. She breathed a sigh of relief that he was gone. Her immediate concern now was for Sam.

Upon closer inspection, she couldn't find any bumps or lumps on his head, or any blood besides a scratch on his face, which was always a good sign. However, the longer he remained unconscious, the more she worried. And with it being so cold outside and he was lying on the ground, she worried even more. Even if she wasn't pregnant she was unsure she would've been able to lift his huge frame into her car, and she was afraid to hurt him further, as well as herself if she even tried. She pulled him as close as she could, hoping that Dean would arrive sooner, rather than later.

It was only a couple of minutes later when Jessie heard the distinctive roar of the Impala's engine coming down the road. It was the same moment that Sam emitted another moan, only louder, this time opening his eyes slowly. His eyes were glazed with pain, but she could see his love and concern for her as she gazed into them.  
>"Don't move too much, Sam," she told him as he struggled to get up. "Dean will be here in a second."<p>

She eased him up into a sitting position, setting her hand firmly on his shoulder so he wouldn't try to stand.

"What happened?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

"It's okay, Sam," she replied reassuringly. "They're gone."

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"You're the one who got knocked out. Why don't we worry about you?" she replied with a faint smile.

He looked at her with confusion, unsure of how she might have gotten away from the demons, and also unsure why she seemed to be hiding something. But he didn't have time to worry about it when his brother showed up.

"What happened?" Dean asked with concern.

"We were attacked by demons," she replied, backing off slightly so he could examine his brother.

After a quick examination, Dean figured his brother was fine. He helped get him to his feet, with a little assistance from Jessie, getting him into the passenger side of the Impala. Once the door was closed, he stuck his hand out at her, gazing at her anxiously.

"Take my keys and get him to Bobby's," he said.

"What about my car?"  
>He rolled his eyes with irritation. "I'll take care of her. Now go. Sam needs rest and you need to get out of the cold."<p>

She glanced at her car once before taking the proffered keys and thanking Dean for his offer. She knew she had nothing to worry about where her car was concerned. She was actually much more concerned about leaving him alone in case more demons showed up. But she had to trust he knew what he was doing. It shouldn't take him too long to fix her car anyway.

After adjusting the mirrors and seat, she drove off towards Bobby's house quickly. She didn't go quite as fast as she'd like, but that was only because it wasn't her car. Just as she would expect Dean to look after her girl, she was going to take care of his baby.

Sam was quiet during the drive. He mostly gazed out the passenger side window, one hand on his head. He was so quiet, she had to glance over at him from time to time to make sure he was still conscious. She had been expecting the third degree from him about what happened to the demons who had attacked them. It worried her much more that he hadn't asked.

Bobby was waiting outside when she drove the Impala into the yard. He greeted her with concern before helping Sam into the house. He was walking fine on his own, but he seemed a little shaky so he didn't want to risk the chance that he might trip or pass out. He helped him lie down on the couch and make sure he was comfortable before joining Jessie in the kitchen.

"Are you okay, Jess?" he asked as he grabbed a beer from the fridge.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Isn't it a little early to be drinking?"  
>He shook his head lightly. "After Dean called to tell me what happened, it's not too early."<p>

"Bobby, we're fine. It was only a couple of low level demons. Nothing to worry about," she replied nonchalantly, attempting to alleviate his concern.

"Of course I worry," he replied, gazing at her sternly. "And you never did answer my question."

She sighed impatiently. "I'm fine, okay. It's Sam you need to worry about."

"Do you wanna tell me what happened?"

She knew exactly what he would say if he found out that Crowley had helped her, and it was the last thing she wanted to tell him. She knew she could probably get away without telling any of them the complete truth, make up some cover story since Sam was unconscious in the first place. But with all the lies she'd had to tell them lately, and all the guilt because of it, she just had to tell them the truth and deal with it. They deserved that much.

"Crowley saved me," she replied tersely.

"What?!" he said, spitting out some of the beer he still had in his mouth in surprise.

She shrugged half-heartedly. "I dunno what else to tell you. He showed up and saved our asses."

"I think you're gonna have to do better than that," he replied disapprovingly.

She sighed. "Look, Bobby. I'm still cold and I really need to use the bathroom. Can this wait until Dean gets back?" she asked, adding, "so I don't have to repeat myself."

He seemed reluctant to let her leave the room but he agreed, figuring he wouldn't gain anything by keeping her hostage. He knew her well enough not to push her.

After she used the bathroom, she headed into her room and got changed into some warm flannel pajamas. They were usually reserved for when she was feeling under the weather, but she figured this reason was as good as any. Once she was dressed, she sat down on the end of the bed and began to reflect on what had just happened.

It was about ten minutes later when Dean appeared in the doorway to her bedroom asking if he could come in. He attempted to keep his face stoic, but he was unable to hide his concern.

"Bobby asked me to come find you."

She gazed at him with a troubled look. "Tell him I'll be down in a minute."

He moved as if he was going to leave, but stopped short.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "Spare me your concern, Dean. I don't deserve it."

"What? How's that?"

She looked at him with disbelief. "I almost got your brother killed, Dean."

He walked over to her, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Sam's fine."

"Yeah, this time. But what about next time?" she snapped. "It was only two pathetic low level demons this time. What if it had been Meg?"

He looked at her with confusion. "It wasn't. Besides, you got away."

"Yeah, if not for—nevermind."

"What were you gonna say?" he asked suspiciously.

"No," she replied with a shake of her head. "I'll talk to you downstairs."

He nodded his head and began to walk out, however, he stopped before leaving and turned around for a moment. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself," he said before leaving the room.

She took a deep breath after he left the room to calm herself. After all the thinking she'd done, she managed to blame herself entirely for what had happened, whether it was wrong to think that way or not. The demons were out for her, not Sam. He was just the innocent victim in her eyes.

She headed downstairs once she had regained her composure. The first stop she made was into the livingroom to check on Sam, who was quietly watching TV. He reassured her that he was fine, but that didn't give her any relief from her guilt. After a quick examination and a couple of stolen kisses, she headed into the kitchen where both Dean and Bobby were sitting at the table, their conversation interrupted the moment she walked in.

She was already upset and angry with herself, but somehow the look the two of them gave her as she entered the room just seemed to add to it. Of course it was completely irrational, but she wasn't feeling completely rational at the moment.

"For the record," she began, "I'm only telling you this because I don't want to keep secrets. If I had my way I wouldn't even tell you."

The two gazed at her suspiciously but kept completely silent.

"Crowley showed up with hellhound in tow. Told the demons to let me go or he would kill them. When one dropped his guard I stabbed it with Ruby's knife, the other one smoked out."

"What?!" the two of them exclaimed in unison.

She shrugged her shoulders. "You heard me."

"Care to explain it a little better than that, kid?"

"What is there to explain?" she asked rhetorically. "He showed up and saved my bacon. Told me they were Meg's demons and that I needed to watch myself, then he left."

"That's it?"

"That's it," she replied with a shrug.

He glanced at Dean who seemed just as surprised as he was, before turning back to look at her with disbelief.

"How can that be it, Jess? What did he want?"

She shrugged. "I told you before, he just wants me to stay out of Meg's hands."

"And you haven't been speaking with him lately?"

The anger that she'd been keeping barely concealed rose to the surface, her face contorted with rage. But somehow she managed to keep control of it, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. And when she opened her eyes again, her face looked passive. Both Dean and Bobby looked at her in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry. My hormones got the best of me for a moment," she said as sweetly as she could manage. "But I'm fine now." She stopped for a moment, walking to the fridge to grab herself a soda. Standing at the counter she turned around to face them again. "I haven't spoken to Crowley since I've been here."

She knew it was a bold faced lie, but she knew she couldn't tell them the truth. They would never understand.

Bobby shot Dean a knowing look, which caused him to get up from his seat and leave the room. When he was gone, he patted the table, asking her to sit down beside him.

She reluctantly sat down at the table, constantly shifting her gaze from his serious look, to the wall behind him. She squirmed uncomfortably in her own skin, afraid of what he was going to say.

"I know I'm not very good at this whole adopted Dad thing, but, Dean told me what you said upstairs and I'm concerned."

"Bobby, please."

"Jessie, we all care about you very much. Pregnant with Sam's child or not, we'd be by your side because we're family."

She shifted her gaze and swallowed hard, fighting back the emotions she was desperately trying to contain; guilt, fear, sorrow. Of course none was as prevalent as the guilt.

"I'm sorry, Bobby. I just don't know what I would do if anything happened to Sam. Especially if it was my fault."

He smiled supportively, unsure how to respond. He always felt uncomfortable talking about feelings, but he knew she needed to talk, even if she didn't know it.

"Whatever the demons do is not your fault, Jess," he finally replied. "No one would blame you if something had happened to Sam."

"But I would, Bobby," she replied with exasperation. "And I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"And how do you think he'd feel if something happened to you, kid?"

She sighed with resignation, realizing he was completely right. Sam had been feeling the same exact way she was, but somehow she couldn't see past her own feelings.

"I get it, Bobby," she replied. "I'm fine now."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You didn't look fine a couple of minutes ago. In fact, you looked like you were about to murder someone."

She knew he was going to call her on it, but she wasn't pleased. The last thing she wanted to do was attempt to explain how difficult it had become recently to contain her anger. Of course all her other emotions were out of whack as well thanks to her pregnancy, but none were more difficult to control than the anger.

She took a deep breath to keep herself calm before speaking. "With everything that's going on with the demons, on top of everything that's going on with my body, yeah, it makes me feel like I want to murder someone once in a while." He opened his mouth to respond but she raised her hand to quiet him. "Bobby, I'm only just over half way through my pregnancy and I've already gained fifteen pounds. It's hard to get comfortable sometimes, the baby likes to squirm around while I'm trying to sleep, I feel nauseous when I smell food, my back and feet ache, I get headaches sometimes," she paused for a moment, a strange, sly grin creeping over her face, "and occasionally, my boobs get achy or my nipples itch."

His eyes opened widely in horror. "I'm sorry for asking."

She laughed heartily as she stood up from the table, patting him on the back. "Don't ask the question if you don't wanna hear the answer—Dad," she teased.

He rolled his eyes, a tiny grin creeping across his face. "As long as that's all it is, Jess, then I get it."

"That's all," she replied with a smile. "Now if you don't mind, I need to start some baking for tomorrow. Unless you've forgotten it's Christmas Eve?"

"Of course not," he replied as he stood up. "I'll get out of your hair now."

"Thanks, Bobby," she said with a smile, surprising him with an abrupt hug.

As he pulled away from the hug, he smiled at her with the adoration of a father. And after a moments hesitation, he left the kitchen so he wouldn't be in her way.

She felt slightly better after her talk with Bobby, which made her more than ready to begin baking. She knew if anyone was going to get in her way it was Dean, but she had prepared for that eventuality. She had ordered some snack platters from the deli in town and had them delivered early that morning. There were cold cuts, cheese, crackers, pickles, olives, fruits and vegetables, as well as a dessert tray she planned on saving for the evening. However, she wondered if Dean could make it that long before he managed to get into it as well.

She managed to get one pie into the oven before Dean began to nose around the kitchen. She had to threaten him with the rolling pin to get him to leave. However, he continued to pop in and bother her. Even the trays of food weren't enough to distract him for long. Eventually the threats escalated—she threatened to do something to his car—and then Bobby and Sam had to step in and remove Dean before it got ugly.

When the last pie was put in the oven, she finally sat down and had a break. Her feet and back were hurting, but she would never admit it to anyone—especially Sam. She didn't want anyone to worry needlessly, but most of all, she didn't want anyone thinking she wasn't capable of doing things for herself. The pain wasn't a big deal. She just needed to get used to it if she was going to try and keep her usual pace.

She hadn't been sitting for more than a few minutes when Dean walked into the kitchen. She shot him a dangerous warning glance, but kept silent. She figured it was more than enough of a warning.

"You made quite the mess," he said as he grabbed a beer from the fridge.

She glared at him silently, doing her best not to react. She assumed he was trying to goad her into some kind of reaction

"It smells awesome though," he said as he glanced around the kitchen. "What all did you make?"

"Pie, Dean," she replied wearily.

He grinned brightly. "I know that. But what kind?"

"Can't you just wait and be surprised?"

"No. Isn't it enough that I have to wait until tomorrow to open presents?"

She giggled. "You're so adorable, Dean."

"Adorable? Me? No way!" he replied, feeling insulted. "I prefer deadly. Or maybe ruggedly handsome. But definitely not adorable."

She laughed heartily. "Sure, Dean. Whatever helps you through the day," she teased.

"Are you gonna answer my question or mock me?"

"Okay, fine," she said with a grin. "But first, promise me you won't touch them until tomorrow."

"You're heartless, you know that, right?"

She chuckled. "I didn't know the great Dean Winchester was such a drama queen."

He mumbled something about pie, which made her chuckle again. "Fine. I swear I won't touch it until tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow after dinner?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes."

She grinned triumphantly. "Well, of course I made apple, and I made that with fresh apples, not canned." She paused with a smile as it looked like he was going to drool. "I also made pumpkin, cherry, chocolate cream and sweet potato."

"What?" he said in surprise. "You made a pie from vegetables?"

"You mean you don't know pumpkin is a vegetable?"

"I'm not talking about pumpkin. I meant the sweet potato."

'You mean you've never had sweet potato pie?" she asked in disbelief.

He shook his head. "No."

"Well, it tastes a lot like pumpkin, only better."

"I'll have to take your word for it," he replied with a look of disgust.

"Oh, no. You're not getting away with that," she said, smiling as she saw the confusion on his face. "You're gonna try a piece or you don't get any of my other pies."

He narrowed his eyes. "Forget about what I said. You're not just heartless. You're also cruel."

She laughed. "Why? Because I know where to hit ya where it hurts?"

"Yeah," he mumbled while rolling his eyes.

"Fine, I'll make you a deal," she said, watching him narrow his eyes suspiciously. "If you don't like the sweet potato pie, I'll make you homemade pie of your choice once a week for a month."

He stared at her intently for a moment while mulling it around in his mind. "Deal."

She smiled as she stood up from the table, her eyes scanning the kitchen. "I forgot to tell you, Dean," she said, her smile becoming wider, "since I did the cooking, you get to do the cleaning."

"What? Who says?"

She grinned with delight. "Bobby."

He shook his head silently, glaring at her. She chuckled quietly as she began to head for the livingroom, turning around to glance at him as she reached the door. "I'm just kidding," she said with a grin, watching him roll his eyes before walking out of the room.

Sam was sitting on the couch watching TV when she walked in. He beamed at her brightly, shifting over so there would be room for her to sit. She sat down, brushing her fingers through his hair lightly.

"How's your head?" she asked with concern.

"It's fine now. No more headache," he said as he reached his arm around her, pulling her close.

She smiled, leaning in to kiss his lips gently. "I'm tired, Sam. And I think you need to take it easy for one night."

He gazed at her with pleading eyes, but her look was one of determination. She'd made up her mind and there was no way he was going to be able to change it.

"Sleep it is," he replied with a smile, but his voice showed his disappointment.

She smiled lovingly as she stood up from the couch, offering her hand to him. He took it hesitantly, allowing her to help him to his feet. She kept a hold of his hand as she led him to the stairs, allowing him to walk ahead of her, taking his hand once again as they reached the top of the stairs and lead him into the bedroom. And after he insisted on helping her change into her nightgown, they climbed into bed, cuddling up together.

"Sam," she said quietly a few minutes later. "I told you I wanted to sleep."

"But it's Christmas," he replied quietly.

"Not yet it isn't. Besides, I bought you presents."

He nuzzled up to the back of her neck, kissing her a few times while breathing heavily. "This would be a much better present."

She rolled her eyes before she turned over to face him. "Sam. I've been pretty good about this, so... please don't make me play the '_I'm pregnant and tired_' card."

He brushed his fingers through her hair, kissing her gently. "Okay. I'll let you save that card for another time."

She chuckled quietly, a wide smile on her face. "I love you, Sam."

"I love you, too, Jessie."

She closed her eyes while he continued to brush his fingers through her hair tenderly, his rhythmic breathing eventually helping her fall into a peaceful slumber.

**A/N: What do you think Crowley is really up to? Do you think Jessie knows, or is she as much in the dark as everyone else?**

**I'm hoping the next chapter flows as easily as this one did. Hopefully will update again soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

As usual, Jessie woke up early the next morning with a heavy need to use the bathroom. Only, this morning she also felt sick. She didn't want to climb out of bed, no matter how much she needed to, but eventually she did. And since Sam already seemed to be up and about, she really had no reason to stay in bed—especially on Christmas morning.

After managing to make it to the bathroom, she decided to shower. She was disappointed when Sam didn't show up to join her, but after she took some time to think about it, she realized it was probably better that he hadn't. She really didn't feel up to anything at the moment.

Once her hair was dry and she was fully clothed, she headed downstairs. Her nose was assaulted by a strange smell before she even made it all the way down the stairs, making her stomach lurch. She had to stop for a moment, her hand over her mouth to make sure she wasn't going to vomit. It took a few moments but her stomach finally settled down enough to continue her way downstairs.

The first thing she noticed when she walked into the kitchen was Dean standing at the stove wearing an apron. She wasn't sure which was more surprising, the fact he was cooking, or the fact he was wearing an apron. She might have snickered if she still wasn't on the verge of getting sick. Instead, she headed to the cupboard, completely ignoring everyone in the room, snatched a box of plain crackers from the cupboard and stuffed one in her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked with concern as he jumped up from the table and came up behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder supportively.

She turned around to face him, chewing on another cracker. She smiled weakly as she finished chewing.

"My stomach is unsettled this morning."

He glanced in his brother's direction for a moment. "It must be Dean's cooking," he teased, hoping to lighten her mood.

She smiled slightly. "I think you're right. About the cooking part, not about Dean being a terrible cook."

He snorted. "You must be feeling lousy if you're sticking up for Dean."

"Well, you probably shouldn't stand too close. Ya know, just in case," she said with the slightest hint of a smile, although she wasn't teasing.

He smiled supportively, placing his hand on her belly gently. "You should know living with a Winchester isn't easy."

"Yeah, I've noticed," she replied with a smile. "I think I'm gonna take a quick walk outside. Maybe the fresh air will help."

"Do you want me to join you?"

She smiled. "It's okay. No sense in you getting cold, too. I won't be long."

He was going to insist, but he knew how she was. It was the reason he'd asked her in the first place instead of just following her. And other than she liked some time to herself. He assumed she wanted to be alone in case she actually did get sick. She was always embarrassed about it, not that it mattered to him. He'd seen enough gross things in his lifetime.

She kissed Sam on the cheek before getting into her winter coat and heading outside for a walk. She winced the moment she walked outside into the bright sun, the glare off of the snow was making it hard for her to see, as well as making her stomach lurch. However, she knew her way to her destination, even blindfolded, so a little sun wasn't about to stop her.

When she made it to the shed, she looked inside but found herself disappointed. She stood by it for a few moments before she began to pace back and forth with frustration. Each second that passed frustrated her more than the last, especially when her head began to ache. It began as a dull ache, but the more frustrated she became, the more it began to hurt. As her pacing became a bit more manic, she began cursing Crowley under her breath. Not more than a minute later she was about to yell out his name in anger, when she turned around jumping back in surprise when she noticed him standing there.

"Crowley!"

"Were you looking for me, my dear?" he asked sarcastically.

She glared at him furiously. "You damn well know that I was."

"My, my, a bit touchy this morning, aren't we?"

"Cut it out, Crowley! I'm not in the mood!"

"I can see that," he said with a smirk. "I suppose you want me to do something about that?"

She rolled her eyes heavily. "Fine! I'm done with your help then, Crowley."

He watched her storm away for a moment before calling her name, smiling with amusement as she turned around almost instantly. "Don't be so dramatic, my dear."

"I don't have time for this, Crowley. Someone's gonna come looking for me if I take too long to get back."

He nodded his head in understanding, reaching into his jacket. "You know you really shouldn't be out here alone. Not after what happened yesterday."

"I have my hex bag with me, Crowley. Don't tell me you didn't notice?"

"That may be, but she could have someone skulking about. I'd be more careful if I were you," he replied, handing her a key.

"What the hell is this?" she asked as she snatched it from his hand.

"A key, you dimwit."

"I know it's a key!" she snapped. "What the hell is it for?"

He sighed exaggeratedly. "There's a box in the shed and that's the only key in the world that can open it, besides mine. Got it?"

She nodded her head in understanding as she stared at the key. Glancing up from her hand, she noticed he had disappeared. Muttering his name under her breath, she walked into the shed, finding the box easily. After she opened it, she slipped the key into a hidden inner pocket in her jacket and removed the contents of the box.

She was almost near the entrance of the house when she saw Sam pop outside. He glanced in her direction with a look of concern that quickly changed to a look of relief. His smile made her heart skip a beat as she smiled brightly in return.

"I was beginning to think you ran away," he teased as she approached him.

"From all of this?" she replied jokingly.

"You must be feeling better," he said as he pulled her into an embrace.

"Much better," she replied with a smile.

"Good," he replied, leaning in to kiss her for a moment. "Then you better get your behind inside. Dean's becoming a little, uh, impatient."

She smiled as she broke free of his grasp, slipping into the house ahead of him. She had her coat off and hung up by the time he caught up to her, turning to smile at him mirthlessly.

"You're slow this morning," she teased.

He looked at her with surprise and confusion for a moment. "How come you're so happy all of a sudden?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's Christmas and I feel better. What's not to be happy about?"

He couldn't argue with that, but the complete turn around in her attitude made him slightly suspicious. It wasn't the first time, and he had an inkling it wouldn't be the last. If he knew more about pregnancy he might be comfortable just shrugging it off. However, he didn't know much about pregnancy, but he knew enough about other things that he couldn't just let it go. As much as he hated himself for it, he vowed to keep a closer eye on her.

After wishing everyone a '_Merry Christmas_', Jessie sat down at the table with a cup of coffee, until Dean placed a plate of french toast in front of her. She looked at him strangely for a moment before thanking him, then began scarfing down her breakfast. She hadn't realized that was what he was cooking when she'd come into the kitchen earlier, since she felt too sick from the smell to be concerned, but it definitely tasted much better than she would've imagined.

When she was finished eating, she informed them she needed to get the turkey into the oven before they did anything else. Dean seemed disappointed, which made her chuckle, but it didn't bother anyone else. So once the turkey was in, she decided it was time for them to open presents.

When she walked into the livingroom, the three men turned suddenly to stare at her as if she'd interrupted something that wasn't meant for her ears. She did her best to curb her paranoia, but she couldn't help feel the sting of her guilt. She knew she was hiding something, and she knew she was still skating on thin ice with Dean, but after everything that had happened in the past few days, she had hoped that had changed.

"Who's ready for presents?" she asked, trying her best to be cheery.

Dean's eyes opened widely as he shifted around in his seat, almost unable to contain his excitement. She chuckled lightly, directing him to open his presents first.

He grabbed the closest box, which was wrapped in blue paper with silver ribbon, and began unwrapping, but not before commenting on how heavy the box was. Once he was finished grappling with the ribbon, he tore into the paper with a youthful exuberance, his eyes lighting up as he glimpsed the large box of expensive tools.

"These are awesome!" he said as he glanced in her direction. "Thank you!"

She smiled happily. "Just open the rest."

He grinned as he tore into his other presents, all of which were things he needed for his car, except for a few exotic weapons she was sure he'd enjoy. He hadn't been sure what to expect, but he was pleasantly surprised.

Sam opened his presents next. He wasn't as enthusiastic as his brother, but he was just as surprised. She'd bought him several electronic gadgets, including an ipad and a new iphone, as well as a five terrabyte external hard drive so he could store monster lore on it. She had also bought a few new shirts, since she was tired of seeing him wear the same ones over and over again.

When Sam was finished, Dean looked at her with confusion, inquiring why there weren't any presents under the tree for Bobby. She wasn't going to answer him, but she knew he would just bug her until she gave in.

"I have something for Bobby, but it's private," she replied as she stood up from the couch and left the room. When she returned, she handed Bobby a large brown envelope. "This is for your eyes only, unless _you_ want to share what's in there."

He narrowed his eyes with suspicion and curiosity as he took the envelope from her hands, quickly glancing at the boys who looked just as surprised as he was. He hesitated before opening the envelope, slowly pulling out the papers as if he was afraid of what he was about to read. He only glanced over it quickly before folding it up hurriedly and stuffing it back into the envelope, a look of anxiety on his face.

"We need to speak in the kitchen _privately_, Jess," he demanded, getting up from his seat and sweeping from the room.

The boys glanced at her questioningly but she only shrugged her shoulders before following him. She knew how this conversation was going to go, but it didn't matter to her. He was going to accept his present if she had to torture him to agree.

He was glaring furiously at her as she walked into the kitchen, his arms crossed in front of him. He waited until she closed the door before speaking, his arms suddenly flying to his side.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, Jess?" his hands emphasizing his agitation.

She sighed. "I was helping you."

"Who asked you to?"

"No one did, Bobby. But that's what family does, right?" she grinned at him smugly, using his own words against him for once.

"How did you even know?" he asked with exasperation.

"Who do you think you're talking to, old man? You know exactly how I found out."

"It was none of your business."

"It doesn't matter now anyway, it's done. Now swallow your pride and take your present like a man."

He stared at her stoically for a moment before breaking down, hugging her tightly. After a few moments, he pulled away, eyeing her with adoration.

"How can I ever thank you enough for this?"

She snorted. "Are you serious? After all you've ever done for me, this is nothing. If anything, I'm the one that still owes you."

"You don't owe me a damn thing, kid," he replied, blinking back a tear. "Just take care of yourself and we'll call it even."

"I will, Bobby."

He was quiet for a moment before suddenly looking serious. "Actually, there is something you can do for me." She raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "Don't mention this to the boys. Please."

She fought back the urge to say, '_only if you tell me what you've been hiding_', but she couldn't. Her present had nothing to do with anything but wanting to take care of him. Everything else could wait for at least one more day. She was just happy to see his face light up for the first time in months. Most of his recent worrying was all about her, but she'd soon found out there was more to it. And since there was no way to get rid of her demon problem so easily, she took care of his other worry—losing his house. He'd taken another mortgage out on it and he was having problems paying. She wished he had just told her, she could've saved him a lot of worry. But she knew he would never have asked her for help, even though she would have been more than glad to, and she was more than able to. In fact, he owed less than the amount of money she'd given to Dean in Las Vegas. It wasn't a big deal.

"Of course I won't, Bobby," she replied with a smile.

She waited around for a few moments to see if he was going to say anything else, but when he didn't, she headed back into the livingroom and sat on the couch beside Sam, ignoring his—and Dean's—questioning look. She figured the best way to make them forget about Bobby was to change the subject.

"So, where's my presents?"

The brothers passed a knowing look between themselves but neither of them answered her. She decided to wait patiently for a short time, attempting not to look curious, or worried. She wasn't even sure if they'd had time to get her anything. Not that it mattered. Agreeing to celebrate Christmas with her was more than enough.

It was quiet for the next few minutes. Dean spent the time fidgeting with some ribbon from one of his presents, while Jessie cuddled up with Sam while he absentmindedly stroked her stomach. She knew something was up, but she wasn't in the mood to be impatient. She was rather enjoying just relaxing with her man.

When Bobby finally walked back into the livingroom, he shot the boys a knowing glance before directing everyone to head upstairs. She was curious, but she didn't enquire any further. For once she decided to behave herself. It was, after all, Christmas for them as well.

Sam took her hand when they reached the second floor landing. He was trying to supress his excitement, but he couldn't hide his smile from her. Dean was also grinning, but Bobby was standing in front of the spare room door as stoic as usual. She figured her present must be in the room, which really made her curious as to what it was. It also explained why Bobby had been sneaking around upstairs the other day.

"Merry Christmas, kid," Bobby said as he opened the door to the spare room.

She was hesitant to get close, wondering what could possibly be in there. In the past, it was usually crowded with musty old books and boxes that she had no idea what was in them, she only knew to stay away from them. But as the door swung open far enough, she immediately noticed how much brighter it seemed to be, and no boxes or books as far as she could see.

With some gentle prodding from Sam, she walked into the room, her mouth agape with shock. The whole room was empty and it had been repainted a light blue color with a wallpaper border with images of rubber ducks. It was a nursery, almost a normal nursery, the only difference between this one and everyone else's was the sigil's and warding symbols painted on the duck border.

"Do you like it?" Bobby asked.

She turned to face him, smiling brightly. "Like it? I love it!" she replied, sweeping over to him and hugging him tightly.

When she pulled away she noticed his wide smile, and possibly a tear of happiness. She helped him cover it up by hugging Dean in thanks, catching him off guard. It was enough of a distraction that Bobby was able to wipe his tear away and save face.

Of course she saved the last hug for Sam, hugging him tightly as she laid her head against his chest, her eyes closed tightly to fight against the overwhelming feeling to cry. They would be tears of joy, but she didn't want them to fall. However, no matter how hard she tried she didn't have a choice in the matter. The tears forced themselves to fall through her tightly closed eyes. She tried to hide them but Sam noticed. He squeezed her a little more tightly, kissing her lightly on the top of her head.

"I'm glad you like it," he whispered.

By the time she regained her composure, looking up into Sam's eyes, both Dean and Bobby had left the room to give them some privacy.

"Who's idea was this?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly.

"It was Bobby's idea to clean out the spare room for the baby, but the decor was Dean's idea."

"Really?" she asked, grinning in surprise.

"Yeah," he replied with a chuckle.

"This is so surreal," she said as she pulled herself from his embrace, turning around to glance around the room. "I don't know what's more strange though, the fact I'm having a child or that Bobby has a nursery in his house."

He chuckled. "All of this is strange, Jess. I never thought I would marry someone let alone have a child."

She turned around to face him with a smile. "Me either, Sam. But despite everything, I'm happy."

"Me too," he said with a smile as he pulled her into an embrace. "Despite everything."

The way he said, 'despite everything', made Jessie curious, and suspicious. It sounded a bit ominous, despite his smile. She couldn't help but become a little paranoid. She might have been able to just ignore it, but since she was hiding something it made that almost impossible.

It wasn't long before they made their way back downstairs. As she would have expected, Dean was already into the trays of food. She tried to keep him out of the dessert tray, but she gave up after a few minutes, it wasn't worth her time to argue, she had other things to do.

After kicking the boys out of the kitchen, she began to make the side dishes to go along with the meal. She wanted to have it all ready so she could just warm it up when the turkey was ready. She didn't think it would take her too long, but it took much longer because Dean kept coming into the kitchen to see what she was up to. After the third time kicking him out, she gave up and just began ignoring him completely.

She was in the kitchen for almost two hours before she finally had time to sit down with Sam and Dean on the couch. They were watching old Christmas movies on TV, while Bobby was in his study. However, she wasn't going to let him get away with researching on Christmas, so she made him sit in the livingroom with everyone else. He wasn't exactly happy about it, but he didn't protest too much. He had promised her one day after all, and she didn't let him forget it.

It was nearing the end of the movie they were watching when Dean disappeared into the kitchen. Jessie wanted to follow him but Sam had made her promise to relax. However, a few minutes later there was a loud bang which made her run to investigate, Sam close behind her.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked as she flew into the kitchen.

Dean turned around looking guilty. "Sorry. I just dropped something. No biggie."

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, eyeing a large glass bowl that was sitting on the counter. "What's that?"

"It's my special egg nog," he replied with a grin. "Want some? I haven't added any alcohol yet."

She shook her head in refusal. "As much as I appreciate your offer, I can't."

"Why?"

She smiled in amusement. "Raw eggs can have salmonella, Dean. Do you think I'm gonna risk making the baby sick?"

He glanced at her apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't know."

She grinned. "It's okay. Besides, egg nog is disgusting. I'll let you guys drink that stuff."

"Good, more for me," he replied with a smile.

After Dean was out of her way, she checked on the turkey before returning to the livingroom to watch another Christmas movie with the boys. She couldn't keep her mind on the movie so much, instead she was thinking about how happy she was at this moment, sitting with all her boys—her family—watching a movie on Christmas like some normal people. Her hand absentmindedly moved from her side to her belly as she thought about her other boy. She grinned about the thought of being surrounded by boys.

Sam placed his hand over the hand that was on her belly, smiling widely. He too had been thinking about the baby and was happy to see she was doing the same. After she returned his smile, he entwined his fingers with hers and continued to watch TV. No words needed to be spoken.

Jessie checked on the turkey a few times during the movie, finally deciding it was almost ready just after the movie was over. She began heating up the side dishes while she removed the turkey from the oven and began making gravy. She had to yell at Dean a few times to stay out of the food before Sam and Bobby finally removed him from the kitchen—forcefully. Even after all the food he'd eaten throughout the day he was still hungry. All she could do was shake her head in wonder. She had no idea how he kept in such good shape eating the way he did.

Once everything was ready, she called the boys in to eat, allowing them to help themselves. She'd spread the various dishes on the kitchen counter so there would be room to eat at the table. She waited until everyone had their plate before she made her own and joined them at the table in her usual spot, sitting beside Sam.

Dean had already begun eating before she sat down, despite the scowl from Bobby and his brother. She only shrugged at them with a smile, it didn't matter to her that he'd begun without her. She didn't expect anything else from him.

"Before we eat," Bobby began, shooting a dirty look at Dean once again, "I want to thank you for doing all of this, Jess. It looks delicious."

She smiled humbly for a moment before smirking. "Don't thank me yet. You boys get to do all of the dishes."

"What?!" Dean sputtered, his mouth full of food.

"It's the least we can do," Sam replied sweetly.

"Speak for youself, Sammy!"

"Quit 'ur whining, Dean," Bobby said imperiously. "You're gonna do them and that's that."

He snorted. "Fine. But I don't have to like it."

Jessie laughed with amusement while Sam and Bobby only rolled their eyes.

Everyone enjoyed the dinner, especially Dean who ended up having three helpings of everything. And even after all of that, he was ready for pie. But Jessie wouldn't let him have his way. Everyone else was still full, so he had to wait until everyone was ready for dessert. He mumbled something about torture, which only made her laugh.

Everyone moved into the livingroom after dinner to watch TV and have a drink. Jessie made a pot of coffee, but she was drinking hot chocolate instead, she was trying to avoid too much caffeine. They watched TV and talked about nothing of importance, trying to act like a normal family on Christmas day. And when it came time to have pie, Dean was right there before anyone else.

"I know I'm gonna kick myself for saying this, Jessie," Dean said with a mouthful of pie. "But you were right about this sweet potato pie."

She was going to say, '_I told you so_', but after a meaningful look from Sam, she decided to take the high road.

"I'm glad you think so, Dean," she replied with a smile.

He grinned as he continued to enjoy his pie.

After they'd left Dean in the kitchen with his pie, Sam pulled her aside, wrapping his arms around her.

"I know I originally had reservations about all of this," he began, "but I wanted you to know this is the best Christmas I've ever had."

She smiled at him warmly. "I feel exactly the same way."

He leaned in close, kissing her lips lightly. They kissed lightly for several moments, until Bobby walked into the room loudly, clearing his throat.

"Time for you and your brother to get to those dishes."

Sam glanced at her apologetically, kissing her once lightly on the cheek before leaving for the kitchen.

"As for you young lady," Bobby said sternly, "you need to sit down and relax."

Her smile grew slowly, assuming he was about to tell her something entirely different.

"Gladly," she replied with a smile before making her way to the couch and sitting down.

He made his way over to the couch slowly, almost hesitantly, before choosing to sit down next to her. Gazing at her seriously, he rested his hand on hers, squeezing it gently.

"I don't want to get sappy, but, I want to thank you again, kiddo."

"Bobby, please don't," she replied. "Just promise me one thing?"

He seemed to scrutinize her for a moment before asking her what she wanted him to promise.

"Don't take out another mortgage on your house, ever!" she replied sternly. "If you get desperate for money just ask me, please?"

It took him a moment but he finally nodded in agreement, albeit reluctantly.

"Good. Now we never have to speak about it again," she said with a grin.

He grinned lightly for a moment before taking on a more serious look once again.

"I have something else to talk to you about, Jess. Something that I've been keeping a secret from you. But after all the thinking I've done, I don't think we should be keeping secrets from each other," he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "How can I expect you to be completely honest with me, when I haven't been completely honest with you."

"Bobby, it's okay," she replied, feeling guilty.

"No. No, it's not, Jess. You've been completely honest with us. It's not right."

She felt herself squirm inside, the guilt making her feel sick to her stomach. She already hated keeping secrets from Bobby. His unintentional guilt trip only made her feel a hundred times worse.

"The truth is, we've been keeping an eye on demonic omens, especially in this area. We know they're either looking for you, or waiting until you come out of hiding," he began explaining. "The trip that I went on was to clean up a demon problem a few hours from here."

"I'm not really surprised by all of this, Bobby," she replied dismissively.

"There's more," he said, his forehead creasing with worry. "The demons have been attracting hunters. And if there's anything I've learned over the years is that demons will talk."

"What're you saying, Bobby?" she asked with concern.

He squeezed her hand firmly, a look of deep concern in his eyes. "Hunters went after Sam numerous times because of demons talking about the demon blood. I'm afraid the same thing is gonna happen to you if we don't take out all the demons we can."

She glanced away for a moment, swallowing hard. When she gazed back in his direction, she tried her best not to look as worried as she felt.

"Do you really think hunters would try and kill me and my son?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "You tell me, Jess. Would you in their position?"

She desperately wanted to say she wouldn't, but she knew that was a lie. And in her heart of hearts, she knew if it wasn't a Winchester baby, both Sam and Dean would want it dead as well.

"Sam and Dean know about this?" she asked.

He shifted his gaze for a moment. "Dean knows. Sam doesn't."

"What?!" she said with utter dismay. "Why would you keep it from Sam? If he's gonna protect me, don't you think he needs to know these things?"

"Yes, I do," he replied calmly. "But I wanted to tell you first."

"Oh."

"I'll tell him. You don't have to worry about that. I had, uh, just been hoping not to ruin Christmas for you."

She narrowed her eyes in scrutiny. "What changed your mind?"

He averted his gaze, shifting in his seat once again. "You know who called a few days ago."

She narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment before it dawned on her.

"Brandon?" she spat. "What the hell did he want?"

"Causing trouble as usual," he replied, pausing for a moment. "He called to tell me he heard some rumors about you."

She gazed at him furiously. "I told that sonofabitch I'd kill him the next time I saw him!"

"Calm down, kid," he said, squeezing her hand supportively. "I've had him neutralized." He raised his hand to silence her when it seemed she was about to ask for details. "He's not dead, just in jail. But he can still talk, and that's my concern."

"You got him arrested?" she asked with a malicious grin.

He smiled in amusement. "Yes, and no. But he's been asking for it for a very long time. There aren't too many hunters that will have anything to do with him nowadays. Hopefully this will keep him out of our hair."

"You mean, what little hair you have left?" she teased.

He sighed. "Always a joke with you."

"What can I say? I'm fun," she replied with a chuckle.

"You're incorrigible," he said with a roll of his eyes.

She chuckled again before placing her other hand on top of his, squeezing it gently. "I'll be careful, Bobby."

He nodded his head lightly, his eyes speaking what his mouth could not. He was worried, perhaps more than he had been initially.

She patted his hand gently. "Can you tell Sam I went to bed. I'm really tired."

His eyes widened in concern for a quick moment before nodding his head in agreement.

She smiled supportively before slipping her hands from his. She didn't want to let him know how much she was concerned about his news, although she figured he would suspect exactly that because of her hasty departure. But that wasn't the entire reason she was heading to bed so soon. She was tired. More tired than she'd been letting on. All she wanted to do was climb into bed, snuggle under the covers and drift off into a peaceful, dream-free slumber.

**A/N: Wasn't a completely peaceful Christmas, but what can you expect with the Winchesters, right? lol. I should be able to update more often in the coming weeks, mojo notwithstanding lol. After this coming week, I won't be working as many hours as I am now. Got some good stuff coming so keep an eye out.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Jessie was awakened by movement in the bed some time after she'd went to sleep. She had no idea what time it was, but it was still completely dark in the room, so at the very least she knew it wasn't morning yet. She stayed still and quiet, wondering if Sam was going to wake her up. But when he crawled into bed facing away from her, she couldn't stay quiet.

"Sam," she called quietly.

"Yeah, it's me," he replied quietly. "Go back to sleep."

She turned around, facing his back, grasping his upper arm firmly. "What's wrong?"

"Can we talk about this in the morning, Jess? I'm tired."

She wasn't sure if she should push, but she knew what he would do in this situation.

"No. I think we should talk about it now."

He sighed loudly, slowing turning around to face her. He reached his hand out to her silouette, finding her hair he began stroking it lightly, smiling as he heard her sighing in pleasure.

"Sam," she called a few moments later. "That's not gonna work with me."

He sighed, running his hands through his own hair in frustration before finally placing his hand onto her belly.

"Seems like I woke both of you up."

She knew he couldn't see her face, but she rolled her eyes anyway. However, he could hear her impatient sigh.

"Fine," he said in defeat. "I talked to Bobby."

She waited a moment to see if he was going to elaborate, but when it was apparent he wasn't going to, she gently nudged his hand.

"And?"

"He told me you knew."

She sighed, rolling her eyes again. "But you're not upset because I know about it."

"Can you just leave it alone, Jess?"

"Would you?"

He sighed loudly before rolling himself to the edge of the bed, flicking on the table lamp and sitting up, his back towards her. He was still for a few moments before standing up and turning around looking agitated.

"I'm just trying to keep my promise to you, Jess."

She looked at him curiously, pulling herself into a sitting position. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He fixed his gaze upon her, his eyes filled with regret and sorrow. "I can't help how I feel, Jess. I made you a promise and now you're asking me to break it."

"I don't understand what you're talking about, Sam," she replied, suddenly feeling guilty—although she wasn't exactly sure why.

"You want me to tell you why I'm upset, but you made me promise not to speak about it."

"What?" she said with confusion. "How can I make you promise something when you haven't even told me what's going on?"

He sighed with frustration, running his hands through his hair. "You made me promise not to blame myself for this situation, and not to talk about it again."

She gazed at him with disappointment. "So we're back to this again, are we?"

"This is why I told you to leave it alone. But of course, you never can, can you?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Sam?" she asked, climbing out of the bed quickly to stand beside it.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Seriously, Jess? You never let anything go."

"Right, because you do?"

"I'm a hunter. I don't let anything go."

"And what the hell am I, Sam?" she asked furiously, her hands flying to her hips. "Last time I checked I was a hunter, too."

He was silent for moment before replying with shame. "I didn't mean to imply you weren't."

She shook her head. "Whatever, Sam. I'm gonna sleep downstairs," she said, turning around abruptly, grabbing for her pillows. She had one in her hand when Sam came up behind her grabbing a hold of her upper arms.

"I'm sorry, Jess," he said quietly. "I don't always think before I speak."

She gazed down at her belly for a moment before dropping the pillow from her hand, shrugging his hands off her arms and turning around to face him. "And I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have asked you what was wrong if I didn't want to hear the answer."

He took a step forward, taking her hands into his. "Do you want me to tell you?"

She gazed into his eyes apologetically. "No...but, yeah."

He smiled supportively for a moment before his face returned to its previous sorrowful state. He brushed hair from her face, his fingers slowly tracing a line down her cheek, chin, finally stopping on her shoulder, which he gripped lightly.

"I'm sorry, Jessie. I can't help but blame myself for infecting you with my curse. And now, not only do we have heaven and hell to watch out for, we have hunters to watch out for as well. I'm afraid this is gonna end up like Gordon Walker all over again."

She averted her gaze for a moment, fighting back a wave of guilt that threatened to overtake her at any moment. She had to swallow hard to keep herself from becoming too emotional.

"I'm sorry, too, Sam. If I had just stayed hidden then you wouldn't have to feel like that."

He shook his head, snorting derisively. "I know you probably won't want to hear this, but I'm gonna say it anyway." He paused for a moment to see if she would attempt to stop him, but she stayed silent. "I would rather die tomorrow than spend another day without you. I don't want you to feel guilty about hiding from me but, you can't even imagine what it did to me, not being able to speak to you, to find you, not even knowing if you were alive." He paused once again, wiping a lone tear that had fallen from her eye. "And now that I've got you back, I'm not gonna give you up that easily."

Her first instinct was to hide, or pull away. But she owed him, so she couldn't allow herself the easy way out. She gazed into his sorrowful eyes apologetically

"I wasn't fishing for another apology," he said, stroking her hair lightly. "We've already been through all of that. I just wanted you to understand why I'm so, uh, agitated."

She shook her head lightly. "I think the word you're looking for is angry, not agitated."

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"Angry, Sam. I knew you were angry by the way you climbed into bed. It's the whole reason I asked you what was wrong in the first place."

"Fine. I was angry. I am angry. What's the big deal?"

She rolled her eyes lightly and shook her head. "Why wouldn't you just say that you were angry?"

He shrugged in response.

She brushed his hair aside, gazing deeply into his eyes. "I know you're ashamed of showing me your angry side, Sam."

He averted his gaze for a moment, his brow furrowing. "I'm not ashamed, exactly. I'm more...afraid."

"Afraid of what, Sam?" she prodded gently. "Afraid that it'll change my opinion of you? Afraid that you'll scare me off?"

He shook his head, frowning ruefully. "No. I'm afraid of losing control again."

She nodded her head knowingly, smiling slightly in support as she held his face in her hands. "You're past all of that, Sam. You haven't been that man for a long time."

"It wasn't really all that long ago, Jess," he replied with worry. "Some days I feel that control slipping away again."

"I'm not gonna let that happen, Sam," she promised. "Not as long as I'm around."

He opened his mouth to respond, but all he could get out was one single word, "But—", before a tear fell from one of his eyes.

She wiped his tear away with her thumb before pressing her lips to his gently, kissing him tenderly. She pulled away only moments later, gazing into his eyes lovingly. "I know you're afraid something is gonna happen to me. And I know you're afraid of telling me, in case you upset me. But I see it in your eyes, Sam. You're not hiding it quite as well as you think you are."

"I'm sorry, Jess. I'd do anything to spare you from all of this," he replied apologetically.

"And I would do the same for you, Sam. But this is what we have, and I just want to make the best of it while I can."

"While you can?" he said with distress. "Have you given up?"

"No, of course not," she replied, patting his cheek lightly, smiling supportively. "But one day my number will be up. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday. And I don't want to spend it worrying about what _might_ happen."

He gazed at her lovingly for a brief moment, before a grin began creeping across his face. "How wise you are, young Skywalker."

She rolled her eyes, sighing heavily in response.

As she attempted to pull away from him, he grasped her tightly, pulling her close and began to kiss her passionately. She resisted for a moment. But as his hands gripped her tighter, she could feel his strong need, which only made her need him as well. With the previous moment quickly forgotten, she allowed herself to be swept up in the passion of the moment, only stopping to remind him where they were and why they needed to be quiet. He nodded once to acknowledge what she'd said before he lifted her nightgown up and over her head, discarding it quickly onto the floor.

"You're so beautiful," he said as he gazed upon her naked body with a loving smile.

She began to blush slightly. "I'll take your compliment, Sam. But I definitely don't feel beautiful."

He smiled at the goosebumps he raised on her flesh as he traced a line lightly down her body from behind her ear, down her neck and arm, circling around her breast before placing his hand on her belly.

"You have a life growing inside you. How could that not be beautiful?"

She was silent for a moment in awe, before her sarcastic side took over.

"Did you read that on a greeting card?" she teased.

He grinned slightly in amusement. "Whatever am I gonna do with you?"

"Take this off," she replied seductively, grasping a hold of his pants, "and we'll find out."

He smiled, then proceeded to unbutton his shirt, slowly, teasing her. Dropping his shirt to the floor, he pulled her close, kissing her passionately. He felt her hands slide to the button on his pants, making him smile against her lips. Sliding his hands from her back, he grasped hers tightly, pulling them away from his pants.

"Are you in a hurry?" he teased in a whisper.

She sighed exaggeratedly, a slight grin on her face. "No. But it's not fair."

"What isn't fair?" he asked with confusion.

"That I'm standing here fully naked and you aren't."

"You're right, it's not," he replied with a grin, releasing her hands.

She smiled, not wasting any time unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans, dropping them to the floor. A single glance convinced him to shake them off his ankles, kicking them aside. Reaching down, she grasped his hips firmly, slowly lowering herself down, her tongue tracing a line down his belly, stopping just above his underwear, which she proceeded to pull down with her teeth, and her hands. When his underwear reached his knees, she pulled them down the rest of the way with just her hands, discarding them quickly as he raised each foot off of the floor.

"Jessie," he whispered, reaching his hands out to her.

She took his hands, allowing herself to be gently pulled into a standing position.

"What?" she asked with confusion.

Releasing her hands, he wrapped one arm around her bare waist, the other he used to grasp her face lightly, gazing into her eyes lovingly. "You've done enough today. Let me take care of you now."

She smiled brightly, tears of joy forming in her eyes. "I love you so much, Sam."

"I know," he said with a smile as he stroked her hair. "Now let me show you how much I love you."

She smiled, holding onto him tightly as he pressed his lips against hers, losing herself in the passion of the moment.

Jessie attempted to open her eyes, but the brightness in the room kept her from opening them fully until her eyes adjusted. She blinked a few times, wondering why the curtains were open. As if on cue, Sam shuffled into the room carrying a tray with food.

"Good morning, Princess," he said with a bright smile, placing the tray onto the night stand beside the bed.

She looked at him strangely for a moment. "Who you calling a princess?"

"I brought you breakfast in bed—like a princess," he said cheerfully.

She groaned slightly. "There better be coffee."

"Of course, milady," he replied teasingly with a mock bow.

She wanted to be miserable, since she hadn't had coffee yet, but one thought about the night before made her grin uncontrollably, leaving her unable to speak for a few moments.

"I see I caught you in a good mood," he said with a wink. He couldn't help but smile as well, assuming he knew exactly what she was thinking about.

"You brought me breakfast in bed," she replied with a grin. "How could I not be in a good mood?"

He smiled, sitting down at the edge of the bed beside her. "Is that the only reason?"

"Of course not. You brought me coffee," she replied with the same grin.

He rolled his eyes with a smile, knowing she was teasing him. "Do you need to use the bathroom before you eat?"

The moment she nodded her head, he stood up from the bed, offering his hand out to her. She took it almost immediately, allowing him to gently help her to her feet. She acted like she was about to walk away, before turning abruptly, throwing her arms around him and kissing him deeply for a few moments before pulling away with a smile.

"Thanks for last night, Sam. It was—wonderful."

He beamed widely. "You better hurry. Your food is getting cold."

She nodded in thanks before departing quickly for the bathroom, not wasting any time getting back into bed so she could eat. Her scrambled eggs were now only tepid, and her coffee was not much better than lukewarm, but the fact that Sam had made it and brought it to her made it the best tasting breakfast she'd ever had.

Sam took the tray from her when she was finished and left the room so she could go about her morning routine. So after she finished her shower and got dressed, she made her way downstairs, stopping first in the kitchen to grab herself another cup of coffee. She was so single-minded at that moment that she didn't notice Bobby standing on the opposite side of the room.

"Good morning, Jessie," he greeted her.

He startled her causing her to nearly drop the spoon she was scooping sugar with.

"Morning, Bobby," she said as she turned to face in his direction.

"So, what are your plans for today?"

She glanced at him curiously. The expression on his face said he was expecting a specific answer but she was unsure what he was alluding to.

"I'm gonna have a cup of coffee while I ponder the meaning of life," she replied teasingly.

He rolled his eyes slightly. "Since you have no particular plans you can get rid of all these gawd awful Christmas decorations."

"Sure, Bobby."

He turned as if he was about to leave before turning back to glance at her once again. "And by the way, I can't ask you to stop since you're married. But do you think next time you could try to keep it down. There's some things an old man doesn't want to hear."

Her eyes widened in horror, her face turning several shades of pink. She was so embarrassed she couldn't even manage to get the words, '_sorry, Bobby_', out of her mouth before he left the room. She was about to turn back to her coffee when Dean walked in the room. She nodded a greeting, averting her gaze quickly—afraid her face was still pink.

"And good morning to you, too, Sunshine," he said teasingly.

"Morning, Dean," she mumbled, quickly taking a sip of her coffee.

He waited for her to move aside, filling up his own coffee cup before sitting down at the table in his usual spot across from hers. She had found her seat while he'd been pouring his coffee and was now browsing through the local newspaper, which Bobby had left on the table.

"I thought you would've been in a better mood," Dean remarked after setting his cup on the table.

She glanced at him curiously. "What? You jealous because Sam made me breakfast in bed?"

He chuckled heartily. "Not at all. I just figured after all I heard last night that you'd be unable to stop smiling."

She immediately felt the heat rise on her face and ears, causing her to lift the newspaper up to cover her face. She tried to pretend she was only fixing it, folding it to lie on the table properly. But once she'd put it down, she noticed he was still glancing in her direction with a smirk on his face.

"I didn't know you were so easily embarrassed," he teased with a chuckle.

Her embarrassment didn't last long, not after his smart ass remark.

"I'm sorry, Dean. Did I keep you from your beauty sleep? Or are you just jealous?"

"Jealous of what? I can get women just fine."

"That's not what I meant," she said with narrowed eyes. "I meant, are you jealous that _you_ couldn't make me sound like that?"

"What?!" he stammered, looking both upset and confused. "Are you being serious?"

She continued to glare at him for a moment before her expression turned to one of confusion, and then one of horror.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I'm not sure why I said that."

He shook his head in disbelief, standing up from the table, leaving quickly without a single word.

Once he'd left the room, she put her head in her hands, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths in and out. She wasn't quite sure what had possessed her to say what she'd said to Dean. She knew he had just been teasing her. There was no reason for her to over react like she did. And the worst part was she was in a good mood.

The slamming of the front door snapped her out of her thoughts. She stood up from the table swiftly, heading over to put her boots on. She was throwing on her coat when Sam appeared in the hallway glancing at her with distress.

"What's wrong with Dean?"

She averted her gaze in shame. "I said something to upset him. I'm gonna go take care of it."

He looked at her with concern, but stayed silent. Whatever it was that had happened was between them and probably none of his business. He knew better than to get in the middle of it and make it worse.

Once she'd thrown her coat on, Jessie ran out the door, wincing in the bright sun of the morning reflecting off of the white snow. It was much warmer than it had been the day before, the evidence showing in areas where the snow was melting. She was glad, since she never cared much for the cold or the snow. However, it was only December and there was a whole lot of winter still left.

She found Dean leaning up against a stack of old cars that were flattened and rusted. He wasn't facing her direction, but his shift in posture alerted her to the fact he heard her coming. She had hoped for the element of surprise, but that wasn't going to happen now. So instead of waiting for him to see who it was, she called his name as she approached him, stopping only a few feet away.

"What do you want, Jessie?" he asked harshly, without turning to face her.

"I just came to apologize, Dean. I don't even know where that came from," she replied, hanging her head in shame.

There was an awkward silence for several moments before Dean turned around to face her. She glanced at him apologetically, hoping to ease his anger. She was surprised when he looked more upset and irritated than angry.

"I don't understand how you could say something like that, Jessie?" he said with disappointment. "After all I've done to forget about that night and you have to joke about it."

"It wasn't a joke, Dean. I don't even know why the hell I said it," she replied ruefully.

He snorted derisively. "Do you even know how much I hate myself for what I did to you?"

"Dean, stop."

"No. I think it's about time we hash this out once and for all," he demanded.

"Why? It's in the past. There's no reason to talk about it ever again."

"Obviously there is or you wouldn't have made that remark."

She shook her head. "Like I said, I have no idea why I said that, Dean. With all the crazy shit going on with my hormones and stuff, it just sorta came out."

"Right. And I'm just supposed to believe that?" he asked in disbelief.

She sighed, slumping her shoulders. "Okay, look. The last two months have been really difficult for me, Dean. The moment I found out there was a possibilty that I was pregnant, all rational thought went out the window. And whether you believe this or not, my first thought was not whether this was yours or Sam's baby, but, the thought did cross my mind. And I'm not gonna lie, I was angry about it. I mean, I only remember what that demon, uh, helped, me to remember. But, the thought of not knowing whose baby it was, or even the fact that there was a question, it did piss me off. But when I found out it was Sam's, I was relieved, and I didn't think about it again. At least not until Bobby showed up at my house and I had to explain everything."

"And that's it? You're not still harboring some animosity about it deep down?" he asked.

She averted her gaze for a moment. "I'm not gonna lie. I wish that night had never happened. But what's dwelling about it gonna do? Nothing. Except to make me angry and to keep me from being happy. I'm past all that now, Dean. Besides the demons on my ass, I'm happy for once. I mean..." she sighed, "nevermind."

He gazed at her with curiosity. "What were you gonna say?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm good. Enough of this chick flick moment."

She turned to walk away, but as she did so, he grabbed a hold of her wrist, causing her to stop in her tracks, turning back around to glare at him.

"Dean. Let go, please," she begged.

"Not until you tell me what you were gonna say," he replied adamantly.

She sighed in defeat, waiting until he released her wrist. She swallowed hard once, frowning sorrowfully. "Until I fell in love with your brother, I barely remember what it was like to feel happy. I can't even reminisce about the time I spent in college."

"You were happy then, weren't you?"

She shrugged lightly. "Honestly, I don't know. Sometimes I wonder if I even know what happiness feels like. But then I think about Sam and a smile will cross my face."

"Oh," he replied uncomfortably.

She chuckled lightly. "It's not just Sam, though. It's you and Bobby, too. You're like the family I never had."

"But you had a family," he said with confusion.

She nodded her head. "Not really, Dean. I barely remember my parents. And what I do remember, well, it's not all bonding and holidays. My parents worked a lot of hours. My sister and I were home with babysitters most of the time, until she was old enough to watch me herself. That's the reason I don't remember much about them."

"I never knew that," he said apologetically.

She smiled thankfully. "It's okay, Dean. It's only because I don't talk about it."

He nodded his head. "You're right. You don't talk about yourself very much. You know more about me and Sam than we know about you."

She shrugged lightly. "I'm not hiding anything, Dean. I just don't like to talk about my past."

"Yeah, I guess I can't blame you," he agreed with a nod.

An awkward silence fell over them for a few short moments, each shifting from one foot to another.

"Are we okay now, Dean?" she asked hesitantly.

He nodded his head without hesitation. "Yeah, we're good."

She smiled lightly. "Good."

"Could you do me a favor? Tell Sam and Bobby I went into town for a little while."

"Yeah, sure," she replied, watching him walk to his car before heading back to the house. She thought about taking a detour to the shed for a moment, but after what had just happened, she decided it would be best not to.

Sam was waiting in the kitchen for her when she returned, gazing at her expectationally. She sighed loudly before pouring herself a hot cup of coffee, since hers was now cold. She waited until she was sitting at the table beside him before speaking.

"Dean went into town for a while," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," he replied questioningly.

She sighed knowingly. "Dean was teasing me and I said something that wasn't so nice. But all is okay now, Sam."

"And that's all it was?" he asked with surprise.

"Yup."

He sat quietly for a few moments before leaning closer to her, kissing her on the cheek. "Okay. I'm gonna help Bobby with some research. Unless you need me."

She grinned. "Nah. I'm just gonna clean up the Christmas mess."

He looked disappointed at her response, but he didn't stick around to try and convince her otherwise, which was a relief to her. Bobby had meant it when he asked her to remove the Christmas decorations and she wasn't about to get on his bad side. She'd already started out the day on a bad note, she didn't want it to continue that way.

After she finished her coffee, she began to take down the lights she'd strung up in the windows, followed by the decorations on the tree and the tree itself. It took her all of the morning, plus half of the afternoon. She only stopped in the mid afternoon to make some turkey sandwiches for herself, as well as for Sam and Bobby.

After putting the Christmas decorations away in an out of the way closet upstairs, she decided to look for something to make for dinner. She was already sick of turkey, but it needed to be eaten, so she made some turkey wraps for everyone in the house. It was during dinner that she realized both Sam and Bobby seemed a little agitated about something. She wasn't even sure if she should ask, but she wondered if it had something to do with Dean's extended absence. She waited until Bobby left the room before confronting Sam.

"What's going on, Sam?" she asked bluntly.

"Uh, why would you think something is going on?" he replied.

"Sam, please don't make me force it out of you," she said wearily.

He sighed. "Dean texted me earlier, said he'd be back shortly and that was hours ago. And now he's not answering his phone at all."

She looked at him with a horrified look, guilt crashing down on her like a lead weight. She had to hope that it was just Dean being Dean. However, she knew better. She knew he would never stay out of contact with his brother or Bobby for this long, especially after saying he'd be back soon. If plans had changed he would've at least texted. She knew just as well as Sam and Bobby did that he was obviously in some kind of trouble. Worst of all, it was her fault. He wouldn't have left the house if it hadn't been for her.

Pushing Sam's arms aside, she grabbed her laptop from the other side of the table, opening it roughly and began typing feverishly, ignoring his questions. It wasn't until he attempted to pull the laptop from her hands that she glanced up at him with irritation.

"I'm trying to find your brother, Sam. Now leave me alone," she stated tersely, her eyes shifting back to the computer screen.

"What? How?" he asked with surprise.

She shook her head in frustration. "Even with his GPS turned off, I can track his phone. It's gonna take me much longer, but as long as he's got it on him I'll be able to track him."

"I suppose you're not gonna explain how?"

She glared at him wearily. "What do you think?"

He smirked lightly in amusement, although he knew he shouldn't. "Fine. I'll go warm up the car I guess."

She was too determined to find Dean to even realize what Sam had said to her. She knew if anything happened to him she would feel incredibly guilty for the rest of her life, and she wasn't going to let that happen. She was going to find him, come hell or high water.

It only took her a few minutes to find his location, or at least the location where his phone was. She had flown from the table and nearly had her coat on before Bobby appeared beside her.

"Where the hell are you going, kid?" he demanded.

"To find Dean, where else?"

"Oh no, you're not. You're staying here."

"What?! You're not being serious?!"

"Someone's gotta stay here," he explained.

"If you think that's gonna be me, old man, you've got another thing coming," she replied adamantly.

"Damn right it's gonna be you," he said harshly. "We don't know what's happened to Dean and you're in no condition to find out."

"I'm in no condition? Did you really just say that to me?" she asked furiously. "Don't you dare use my pregnancy as an excuse to leave me behind!"

"Well it's definitely not an asset, Jess," he replied in a much calmer voice, hoping to lessen her anger.

"Despite what you think, I can do my job, Bobby, pregnant or not. I find it funny that not one of you have any faith in my abilities. Do you think I would endanger Dean? If I didn't think I could handle it I would stay here, but I know that I can," she paused for a moment to catch her breath, raising her hand to hush Bobby when he opened his mouth. "I can do this Bobby, I know that I can. Besides, if you leave me here I'm just gonna follow you."

He gazed at her with exasperation. "You're not gonna be happy until this old man has a heart attack, are you?"

She grinned with slight amusement, shaking her head. "Don't be such a drama queen."

He smiled very slightly, rolling his eyes. "Fine. If you say you're able to do this then I'll take your word for it."

"I am able, Bobby," she replied reassuringly. "Anyway, we don't know Dean is in any danger for sure. So quit your worrying."

He nodded in acceptance, which was her cue to leave as quickly as she could before he could change his mind. She had told him to quit worrying, but she was unable to. She knew something was wrong, just as well as he did. She only hoped it wasn't as bad as she was imagining.

Sam was waiting in the passenger side of the car when she finally made it outside. She grinned for a moment, amused that he wasn't sitting in the driver's side. But then she realized he probably didn't want to waste precious time arguing with her while his brother was missing, which made her feel another twinge of guilt. She didn't call any attention to it as she got into the driver's seat, put the car into reverse and backed out of the yard quickly. As she hit the road and shifted it back into drive, Sam placed his hand on her knee to grab her attention.

"Where are we going?" he asked anxiously.

"Somewhere north, just outside of town."

He was quiet for a moment, but he felt the need to talk, to keep himself from becoming too upset.

"What took you so long to get ready?"

She quickly glanced at him before returning her eyes to the road. "Bobby wanted me to stay behind."

He was silent, unsure of what to say. He definitely didn't want to upset her. But in a way, he wished she had stayed behind. He worried that this is exactly what they wanted—whoever had Dean—and they were just playing right into their hands. He could only hope he was wrong.

There was complete silence for short time, until she couldn't keep silent any longer.

"I'm sorry, Sam," she blurted out abruptly.

"What?" he said in shock. "What are you sorry about?"

"Whatever's happened to Dean, it's my fault," she replied anxiously.

"Why? Because you got into an argument with him? He's a big boy, Jess."

"I know, but..."

He reached out, taking her free hand into his, and although he was anxious about his brother, he knew he needed to help keep her calm. "Everything will be fine. We're gonna take care of this just like we take care of everything else."

"I sure hope you're right, Sam," she said, squeezing his hand supportively.

They drove in silence still holding hands during the rest of the ride to their destination. When she stopped the car on the side of the road, they glanced at each other in the darkness. Neither were able to see each other's expression, but they both knew exactly what the other was feeling at this moment. It was Jessie that broke their physical contact, grabbing her phone from her pocket to check the GPS info she'd had sent to it. After a few quick taps, she glanced out the passenger side window.

"His phone is in that house over there," she said pointing towards a house in the distance.

He turned his head to glance at the house for a moment. Turning back towards her, he took her hand in his, pulling her close, kissing her lightly. "Let's be careful," he whispered as he stroked her face lightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Sam," she whispered back, squeezing his hand tightly in support.

"Oh, hey," he said, releasing his grip on her hand and reaching into his jacket pocket. "Take this," he said, pulling Ruby's knife from his jacket and handing it to her.

She was going to protest, but she knew he wanted to make sure she'd be able to defend herself, so she thanked him before placing it in her jacket.

"Let's go, Sam," she said, grabbing her car keys, tucking them into her pants pocket.

"Yeah," he replied hesitantly. "Let's."

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to post. It always seems I get the chapter done and proofread, then something prevents me from finding the time to upload. But here it is and hopefully the next one won't take so long, just don't place any bets lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Sam and Jessie approached the dark house slowly, quietly, their guns loaded with rock salt bullets held tightly in a steady hand, a flashlight in the other. All that could be heard was the crunching of their feet on the thin layer of snow that covered the walkway up to the house. Even in the dark, they both noticed there were no fresh footprints leading up to the house.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Sam whispered.

"Yeah," she replied in a whisper. "And there's no other houses nearby."

"Maybe we should see if there's a back door."

She shook her head. "No. I think they might be expecting that."

"Or maybe they're expecting we will question going in the back way, so they'll be expecting us to come in the front."

She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle at the absurdity. "Either way I think they're expecting us, Sam. I don't think it really matters."

"Front door it is," he replied, quickly moving in front of her. "Let me go in first."

She nodded in agreement silently.

They walked up the cement stairs that lead to the front door silently. Sam placed his hand on the door knob turning it gently to see if it was locked. His silent query was answered when the door gave way, opening without so much of a creak making a sound. He glanced back at Jessie with an uneasy look, who only shrugged in response.

After a moment of indecisiveness, he continued forward, walking a few steps into the house, waiting for her to walk in behind him. Once she closed the door, he signaled her to follow him closely as he walked down the hallway and into the first doorway they came across, which led into the livingroom. After a very quick scan of the room, they headed back the way they came, heading down the hallway again into the room at the end, which happened to be a kitchen. It was a large country kitchen with a door leading to the backyard. As they glanced around, they noticed a doorway at one end of the kitchen. Opening the door revealed two sets of stairs, one leading up and one leading down.

"Which way?" he asked quietly.

She sighed. "My best guess would be down."

"Yeah. Mine too."

"Lead the way."

Hesitantly, he began to descend the stairs slowly, taking them one at a time, his gun poised in a ready to shoot position. But as they reached the bottom of the stairs they encountered another door. After a quick glance between them, he turned the door knob, pushing open the door slowly. There was more darkness, but there was enough light shining through one of the basement windows to reveal a lone dark shape in the distance.

Sam took a few tenative steps inside the room to allow Jessie to shuffle in behind him. Sliding her hand along the wall, she searched until she found a light switch, which she immediately flipped on. After their eyes adjusted to the brightness, they could see Dean across the room, tied to a chair, slumped over and unconcious. He went to head in his direction, but she grabbed a hold of him before he could. He turned around, glancing at her with confusion.

"Sam. Don't lose your head," she warned. "We don't know who did this or where they are."

He nodded his head before approaching his brother cautiously, while she moved slowly behind him keeping an eye out around the room. He called his brother's name urgently, trying to wake him up while he began cutting his binds with a small pocket knife. Once he'd cut through the ropes, he attempted to lift his brother into his arms, when the basement door slammed suddenly, causing both Sam and Jessie to turn around abruptly gazing towards it, both of them taking a more defensive stance as they noticed the dark-haired woman who was standing in front of the now closed door.

"Well, hello," she said, her eyes blinking black for a moment. "It's about time you made it. It's so nice to see you again, Sam."

"Do I know you?" he asked, lying his still unconcious brother onto the floor gently.

"We go _way_ back," she replied with a malicious grin.

"You demons all sound the same to me," he said defiantly.

"But we go back even further than that," she said with a grin.

"What?"

She chuckled. "When I was human I screwed you and your brother over several times." She paused, watching Sam's face with amusement. "Let's see, I shot you in the shoulder once."

"Bela," he said knowingly, his face looking much angrier than it had.

"Bela Talbot?" Jessie asked, as she glanced quickly at him for a moment.

"Yes," Bela replied with a sneer. "You remember me, too, don't you?"

"Yeah, I remember you, bitch," she replied angrily.

She chuckled. "Now that we've been reintroduced, we can get down to business."

"Which is?" Sam asked, hoping to keep her talking.

"Really, Sam. I thought you'd have become a little smarter after all this time."

He snorted derisively. "I don't know. I think I'm a lot smarter than you."

She chuckled. "You're the one who was stupid enough to bring your wife with you."

He glanced at Jessie quickly, who had the same questioning look he did.

"And what do _you_ want with her?"

"Personally, I don't," she replied with a sneer. "But Meg does."

"You're working for Meg?" he asked with surprise.

"Who do you think helped me claw my way out of hell?" she replied. "She knew how badly Crowley screwed me over. She knew I'd want to do the same to him in return."

"You mean the deal with the Colt? You're still sore about that?"

She narrowed her eyes, glaring at him furiously. "He's the reason I went to hell. And now he's gonna get what's coming to him."

"And you really think Meg's gonna help you?"

"Now that I have what she wants she has no choice," she replied with a malicious grin.

"That remains to be seen," he said with a confident grin.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you, Sam," she said with a glare. "There's no way out of this basement besides the door behind me."

"And you're here alone, Bela. Against three of us."

She chuckled heartily. "Three of you? One of you is unconcious and the other is as big as a house."

"Shut up, bitch!" Jessie hissed.

Sam gazed at her soothingly, hoping to keep her calm.

"Enough of this!" Bela yelled. And with a flick of her hand the weapons flew out of Sam and Jessie's hands, landing across the room. "I may have orders to take the two of you alive. But no one said you had to be in one piece."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said, just moments before dashing towards her at full speed.

Jessie yelled his name with fear, unsure what he was doing. She'd never seen him do anything as crazy or reckless, that was usually more his brother's kind of thing. As frightened as she was for him at the moment, she had to remain calm and professional. This wasn't the time for her to lose her mind. She was sure he'd try to convey something when he glanced at her, but she wasn't quite sure what he'd wanted to say. She hadn't hunted with him enough to understand him completely, which she regretted at this moment.

Sam managed to catch Bela off guard, punching her in the face hard enough to knock her back a few steps. But she was a demon now, she was much stronger and quicker than he was. Once she managed to keep her footing, she punched him hard, sending him flying backwards into the wall behind him. He attempted to get to his feet, but she cleared the distance between them before he could, kicking him in the head. He was unconcious before he hit the floor.

"Sam!" Jessie yelled in anguish, before attempting to run after her gun.

She had almost made her way to it when Bela caught up to her, grabbing her firmly around the wrist. She pulled her roughly with her as she walked towards Dean, keeping a tight grip no matter how much she struggled or cursed.

"Knock it off!" she yelled before smacking her across the face.

She hadn't slapped her very hard, but it was enough to stun her momentarily. It was long enough to give Bela the opportunity to pull a knife out of her pants.

"What're you gonna do with that?" Jessie asked, trembling with fear.

Her laugh was loud and sinister as she drew the blade near her stomach. "I wish I could cut that thing out of you—but, I'll settle for slitting Dean's throat instead."

"No! Dean!" she shrieked, trying to pull the demon away from him.

She cackled as she leaned towards him with the knife. However, her laugh was short lived when Dean suddenly splashed her in the face with holy water. The pain made her release her grip on Jessie's hand.

Jessie was caught off guard by Dean's sudden alertness just as Bela was. However, it was only for a split second. Now that she had her opening, she wasn't going to let the opportunity go to waste. She reached into her jacket, pulled out Ruby's knife and plunged it deep into Bela's back. She was so enraged, she managed to plunge it all the way through her body, piercing her heart, the other end protruding out of her chest. When she was dead, she yanked the knife out, allowing the body to drop unceremoniously to the ground.

After wiping the blood from the knife on her pants, she tucked it into her jacket again, before offering her hand to Dean.

"Are you okay, Dean?" she asked with concern once he'd made it to his feet.

"Yeah," he replied, wiping blood splatter off his face with the back of his hand. "I'm more worried about, Sam."

She swallowed hard at the mention of his name, attempting to swallow her fear. It was only two days ago that Sam had been knocked unconcious and she was worried he could be seriously hurt. But she didn't want to think about that.

She ran to him, making it there a few steps ahead of his brother. She squatted down, pulled his upper body into her arms, burying her face into chest for a moment, fighting off a wave of panic and fear. But Dean's gentle voice calling her was enough to bring her out of her momentary panic. She quickly looked over his head and neck, not finding any bumps or bruises, which was a slight relief, before calling his name gently a few times. When he began to moan, she loosened her grip so Dean could get closer.

The moment Sam opened his eyes, they found Jessie's. He smiled at her brightly, happy she appeared to be safe. He hoped to alleviate the fear he saw in her eyes, although he doubted that would be enough. She did return his smile, but her eyes were still full of worry and concern.

"You okay, Sammy?" his brother asked with concern.

"Yeah," he replied reassuringly.

"You sure?" he asked. "I wouldn't have given you the signal if I had known you were gonna do something so crazy."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Wait, what?" Jessie asked in confusion. "What signal?"

"When Sam freed me from the chair, I let him know I was awake," explained Dean. "That's when he snuck the bottle of holy water into my hands."

"Oh," she replied, suddenly feeling out of place. "Are you sure you're okay, Sam?"

"Yeah. She didn't hit me as hard as it looked."

"Right," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I'll let you two deal with the body. I'm gonna go upstairs and make sure there are no other demons around."

"Wait," Sam called as she began to walk away. "I don't want you to go alone."

She sighed. "I'll be fine. Besides, you don't need me here."

"What?" Sam said with confusion.

She was tempted to stop and tell him how she was feeling at the moment, but she decided against it. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and walked away, heading upstairs to do exactly what she said she was going to. She knew she was upset for nothing, but as was usual of late, she was having a difficult time trying to ignore her feelings, no matter how wrong she knew they were.

After a quick look around the main floor, she took a trip upstairs to make sure it was empty as well. She wasn't surprised that there didn't seem to be any signs of other demons in the vicinity, since in life, Bela had been a loner. It seemed that as a demon she didn't trust anyone else either, which was lucky for them. They didn't have to worry that someone would be missing her and come looking for her. At least not for the moment. She assumed Meg would eventually wonder where she got to. But for now, there seemed to be nothing to worry about.

Once she was completely positive the perimeter was clear, she went out to her car and sat in the driver's seat to wait for the boys. She was still slightly upset, but she knew it was her problem. Neither of them had done anything wrong. She was just feeling out of place.

It was almost ten minutes later when the boys finally emerged from the house. Both looked a little beaten and weary, but seemed to be fine. Neither of them spoke when they got into the car, or after she'd begun to drive away. And while she hated the awkward silence, she decided it was best to keep her mouth closed. What she was feeling was wrong, and she wasn't in the mood for an argument. And most of all, neither of them needed it right now. Not after what they'd been through. So she continued to drive back to Bobby's without so much as a word.

Once they arrived at Bobby's, Dean headed straight into the house while Jessie decided to clean up the inside of her car. There were weapons laying on the seats and floor, along with mud, melted snow and road salt. And while it was dark, and it could wait until morning, she hoped that the mindless cleaning would help her forget about the way she was feeling at the moment.

She opened the door to the backseat on the way to opening the trunk. Upon her return to the back, Sam was standing in her way. She couldn't see the expression on his face since it was dark, and the only lighting was at his back, but she knew by his posture and the way his shoulders were set, he was concerned.

"Is something wrong, Jess?"

She sighed. "No, not really."

"Not really?" he asked with trepidation.

She sighed again, only more exaggeratedly. "It's my problem not yours."

"I thought we were a team? Your problem is my problem."

"That's not true, Sam. Not when the problem is mine and mine alone."

"And here I thought we made some progress the other night," he replied with disappointment.

"We did, Sam. It's just...what I'm feeling is silly and wrong."

"I bet it's not that silly," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you just tell me? I promise not to judge."

She averted her gaze for a moment. "I think everyone's right about something, Sam. Something I didn't see until tonight."

"What? What're you talking about?"

"I have no business hunting with you and Dean," she replied matter-of-factly. "It's obvious I don't belong."

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "I don't understand. Are you saying you're gonna quit hunting?"

She laughed derisively. "You'd love that, wouldn't you? That's not what I said at all."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I said I didn't belong with the two of you. Not that I should quit hunting."

"What?" he asked with even more confusion. "Why would you think that?"

She shook her head in disbelief. "You really have to ask?" She watched him shrug in response. "You and Dean have been hunting together so long you know each other. You have signals, code words and who knows what else. Obviously, having me in the way makes that more difficult for the two of you."

He wasn't sure quite what to say to her, since the wrong thing could set her off. But he knew if he didn't say something, it would be just as bad.

"Jessie. You shouldn't feel left out just because my brother and I have been hunting with each other for so long."

"I know," she replied, watching his face look even more confused. "I told you it was silly. But I can't help how I feel. That's why I kept it to myself."

"Is there anything else going on in that head of yours I should know about?" he asked hesitantly.

"Like what?" she asked rhetorically. "Like, am I upset about Dean and how I might blame myself?" He nodded his head. "No. Dean's okay. You're okay. I'm okay. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked with concern. "I don't even know what happened after Bela knocked me out." She shrugged her shoulders. "And how did you know Bela?"

She snorted derisively. "Same way you do, Sam. She screwed me over once. I don't want to talk about it."

He raised his hand, brushing her cheek lightly. "I know you'll probably bite my head off but, are you sure you're okay?"

She smiled, grasping his hand. "Believe it or not, I am. I'm just wound up."

He smiled happily. "Then I'll let you finish cleaning your car. Just promise me you won't stay out here in the cold too long. I know it's not too cold but, I worry all the same."

She smiled teasingly. "You're such a sweetheart, Sammy."

He shook his head lightly with a smile. "Yeah, you're fine. I'll be in the house if you need me."

She squeezed his hand once before releasing her grip so he could leave. She was feeling slightly better than she had after her talk, but she did want to clean her car. She never left it in a mess so there was no way she was going to be able to sleep with it looking the way it did.

It didn't take long for her to clean her car since it wasn't as dirty as she thought, but it had given her something to do. Although her talk with Sam had helped, she still couldn't help but feel like a third wheel. Of course it didn't help that there was so much going on that her paranoia had been getting the best of her. And her overactive hormones definitely didn't help either.

She was headed into the house when she felt the urge to take a trip to the shed. She'd been avoiding it, trying to keep away from the temptation. But after the day she'd had, she needed to. She was relieved to find that Crowley had left what he was supposed to, as well as not showing up to bother her. She'd seen enough demons for the day.

She had just left the shed on her way back to the house when she heard footsteps heading her way. She reached into her coat to grab her gun, when Sam came into view. It was dark, but she knew his silhouette anywhere.

"Jessie," he called with relief. "Where'd you go?"

"Oh, uh, I thought I heard something so I went to check it out," she lied.

"Alone?" he asked with surprise. "Why wouldn't you just come inside to get someone?"

She was a little irritated by his lack of faith in her ability to take care of herself, but now that her inner turmoil was calm, and after the night they'd just had, she couldn't blame him for being concerned. And besides, she was lying to him after all. She couldn't get angry with him for that. It didn't make her feel good.

"I didn't think, I just reacted. Sorry," she replied.

"What was it?" he asked, taking her hand into his.

"I dunno. Probably a small animal or something."

"Good," he replied quietly before ushering her into the house.

After taking her coat off and hanging it up, Jessie followed Sam into the kitchen, sitting down at the table while he was puttering around at the counter. She watched him with interest, curious as to what he was up to. But she didn't have to wonder too long when he approached the table with two steaming hot coffee mugs.

"Hot chocolate," he said, answering her questioning look as he placed the mug in front of her.

She smiled appreciatively. "Thanks. This will definitely warm me up."

He sat down beside her, placing his cup on the table before wrapping an arm around her. "This will help warm you up, too."

She giggled. "That's cheesy, Sam."

"Yeah, I know," he replied with a smile. "But it did it's job. It made you smile."

"You're still worried about me, aren't you?" she asked knowingly.

"Would you be angry if I was?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course not," she replied, placing her hand on his. "But, would you be angry if I was still concerned about you?"

"My head is fine, Jess," he replied with slight irritation.

"Really?" she said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "And maybe you're deflecting. Maybe you're trying to distract me from noticing that you're hurt much more than you've been letting on."

He averted his gaze for a moment. "Fine. You're right. But it's nothing to worry about."

"Right. And how well do you believe me when I tell you the same?" she asked rhetorically. "That's right, you don't."

"Fine," he replied in defeat. "Just promise me you're fine and I'll stop down playing it."

"Fine," she agreed. "Physically, my wrist is a little sore but no big deal. Mentally, that's another issue."

"You're still not upset about me and Dean, are you?"

"No. Nothing like that," she replied with a shake of her head. "I was just thinking about tonight. I almost got your brother killed, and you, too. And if Dean hadn't been awake, and you hadn't given him that holy water—well, I hate to think what might've happened. If she'd taken me to Meg..."

"You know we're not gonna let that happen, don't you?" he replied, grasping her hand that was on the table and squeezing it. "Meg will never touch a hair on your head."

"You can say it until you're blue in the face, Sam. The fact is, it could happen."

"Even if it did. I'm sure Cas would step in."

"The angel. Right," she mumbled under her breath. "After everything he's done. Why do you still trust him, Sam?"

He gazed at her pensively for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly. "You don't really know him, Jess, so I'm not sure you would understand. But, he's done a lot for me, Dean and Bobby. Sure, he went off the rails for a bit, took the wrong path, but he apologized and he's tried to make it up to us." He paused for a moment to choose his words carefully. "Kinda like you have."

She raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "How so?"

"You took the wrong path for a while, but you've been trying to make up for it."

She averted her eyes for a moment, hoping he couldn't see the guilt in her eyes. When she returned her gaze to him, he was looking at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," she reassured him. "I'm just glad you have such a forgiving heart."

He smiled as he pulled her close and kissed her lightly for a moment. "We all make mistakes. Some more than others."

"Yeah," she replied with a teasing grin. "You have."

He rolled his eyes with a grin. "Drink your hot chocolate."

There was silence for a few moments while he drank from his cup. After he'd set it down, she grasped his hand firmly, gazing at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I know I shouldn't joke when things become serious, but I can't help it sometimes."

He smiled supportively, turning his hand over, entwining his fingers with hers. "It's okay, Jess. It's when you stop joking that I worry about you."

She smiled at him before taking a drink of her hot chocolate. As she set it back down, he released his grip on her hand.

"Before you get angry with me, I think I'm gonna hit the sack," he said as he stood up from the table, walking his mug to the counter. "Are you gonna join me?"

She smiled. "If your head is hurting that much, I don't think physical activity is best right now."

He nodded his head lightly in agreement. "I suppose you're right," he replied, walking over to her and kissing her on the top of her head. "Promise you won't stay up too late."

"I promise," she replied with a smile.

He left the room swiftly, but his shoulders were slumped noticeably. It made her worry about him all the more. It wasn't like him to go to bed without her, even when he knew there wasn't going to be any sex. It seemed that even the baby was feeling anxious. He was moving around more than usual. She had an inkling she wasn't going to be sleeping very well tonight.

She had just finished her hot chocolate when Dean walked into the kitchen to grab himself a beer. His face was scratched up and he had a black eye, but he seemed to be fine, despite the condition they'd found him in earlier. He hovered around the fridge gazing in her direction with a strange look on his face, like he had something to say but wasn't sure if he should. She decided to make it easier for him and begin the conversation herself.

"How you feeling, Dean?"

"Besides feeling like someone used me as a training dummy?" he replied sarcastically. "I'm awesome."

She rolled her eyes. '_Yeah, same old_ _Dean_,' she said to herself.

"How are you?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"I'm fine," she replied tersely. It felt like a loaded question, so she kept her response short and to the point.

"Uh, I wanted to ask you something, if it's okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"If this is about what happened to you, I'm sorry," she replied quickly.

"What? No," he replied. "What happened to me isn't your fault. Why would you think that?"

She sighed. "If I hadn't said what I'd said you wouldn't have left the house and Bela wouldn't have found you."

He chuckled. "I wish I could blame you, but I can't. I fell for a beautiful woman which ended up being a demon. I should've just left the bar when I was going to."

She wasn't sure she really wanted him to ask her anything else, but she decided to just get it over with.

"What was it you wanted to ask me then?"

"I was just wondering how you knew Bela."

She sighed. "I was hoping you weren't going to ask me that," she replied, glancing around uneasily. "Where's Bobby?"

"In his study."

She took a deep breath in and out before continuing. "If you promise not to tell Bobby this, and, if you tell Sam you make him promise the same, then I will."

He looked at her with confusion and apprehension, but nodded in agreement.

"It was about eight years ago, shortly after I began hunting. I was on a hunt when I ran into Bela. She was after some object, you know how she was." He nodded his head in agreement. "At the time I didn't know what she was after, but it was the same thing I was looking for. I needed to find this cursed object before anyone else got killed." She stopped for a moment to drink her hot chocolate. "Against my better judgement, I decided to accept Bela's invitation for help. At the time I was beginning to feel lonely hunting alone. Sleeping alone. Just being alone." She stopped to drink her hot chocolate, averting her eyes as she began to speak again. "Anyway, this damn spirit came after me and she let me fend for myself. Somehow I got away, but not before it nearly killed me. Next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital."

"How did you get there?" he asked curiously.

She snorted. "Well, it wasn't her that's for sure. Apparently, I managed to crawl from the house I was in, bloody and beaten. I collapsed in the front yard where some passing neighbour walking their dog found me and called 911."

"And how come Bobby doesn't know about this?"

She laughed derisively. "Oh, he does. He just doesn't know about Bela's involvement."

"You mean you never told him?"

"I felt stupid enough, Dean," she replied with slight irritation. "And at that point he wanted me to quit hunting. If I'd told him how I'd been tricked by someone, I think he would've locked me in the panic room until I was elderly." She shook her head incredulously. "Besides, he would've wanted to hunt her down if he knew."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"You'd think he was my real father or something," she mused with a chuckle.

He shifted his gaze, suddenly uncomfortable with the discussion. He was about to get up from his seat when he remembered something he wanted to say to her earlier.

"I was kind of, uh, pissed that you were the one who got to kill the bitch," he said with disappointment. "But now I'm fine with it. You deserved to kill her more than I did."

She smiled. "I'm just glad she's dead for good this time."

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Dean decided it was time to head to bed. He downed the last of the beer in his bottle then bid her a good night as he left the room.

Jessie finished her hot chocolate in silence, wiggling around in her seat to keep comfortable. Besides the baby moving and kicking around, her back was beginning to ache. She wasn't sure if it was something she did when she was cleaning her car, or if it had been done when she was fighing against Bela. Either way, she needed to find somewhere more comfortable to sit. So she grabbed her laptop and headed into the livingroom. After propping a few pillows up around herself, she was finally able to get comfortable.

"You know something, little guy," she said quietly as she rubbed her belly. "You're the only one who managed to stay awake with me tonight."

"That's not entirely true," Bobby said as he walked into the livingroom.

She smiled teasingly. "You don't count, old man. You'd have to actually sleep for it to qualify as staying awake."

He rolled his eyes with a slight grin. "I was actually heading to bed myself. I just wanted to check on you before I did."

She narrowed her eyes shrewdly. "I'm fine. Are you sure there isn't some other reason you came to see me?"

He gazed at her pensively for a moment. "I really hate you sometimes."

She smiled mirthlessly. "Yeah, same here, old man."

He shook his head. "I just wanted to—apologize for earlier."

"You don't have to, Bobby," she replied quickly. "Your heart was in the right place."

He looked at her with surprise and a little suspicion. "You're letting me off the hook?"

She chuckled at his unease. "Never that easily," she replied with a grin. She was silent for a moment taking on a more serious demeanor. "Only if you promise to trust that I know what I'm capable of doing. I would never put those boys in danger intentionally or because of my carelessness. At the moment I'm quite able to hunt. As soon as I know I'm not able, I will quit—until the baby is born that is."

He was silent, his face a mixture of sadness, regret and disappointment.

"What's wrong, Bobby?"

"I was just hoping you might quit hunting after the baby is born."

She sighed, averting her gaze sadly for a moment. "Even if I wanted to, I don't think it's in the cards for me. My son is gonna be hunted, so I won't have the luxury to quit."

He nodded lightly as he stood silent, gazing around awkwardly. After a few moments he left the room speaking only two words, "Sweet dreams."

Once she could hear Bobby's muffled footsteps going up the stairs, she turned her attention to her extended belly once again. She caressed it tenderly, speaking softly. "You don't have anything to worry about little guy. As long as I'm alive, no monster will ever get their hands on you." And then she began humming softly as she began to do some research on her laptop.

**A/N: I hope I managed to proofread this chapter properly. I used to read through each chapter several times, but lately I've barely had time to write so I'll take my chances. Just don't laugh too hard if I mess up lol. Once again, feel free to leave comments or a review, I do read and appreciate them all.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Sam woke up early the next morning both confused and concerned when he realized he'd been sleeping alone in his bed. He tried to tell himself that it was probably nothing to worry about, but he couldn't help but worry anyway. Once he rolled over, he noticed Jessie's spot hadn't even been slept in, which only made his worry more pronounced. He flew out of bed, hurriedly throwing some clothes on before flying out of the room and heading downstairs.

The kitchen was completely empty when he arrived there, not even a pot of coffee was brewed or in the midst of brewing. His next stop was the livingroom, which is where he found his wife. She was lying down on the couch, pillows all around, a blanket half falling off and her laptop had fallen off the couch and was now standing up against it, like it had fallen out of her hands as she fell asleep. He couldn't help but grin.

After rescuing her laptop from being stepped on—or kicked—he attempted to wake her gently, only to find her dead asleep. He tried again, a little less gently, but still wasn't able to wake her. It wasn't until Bobby walked into the room calling her name harshly that she finally stirred.

She groaned quietly before opening her eyes. Managing a smile at Sam before righting herself on the couch.

"What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"Around seven," he replied, sitting down on the couch beside her.

"Coffee?"

"Not yet," he replied with regret. "I was too busy looking for you. Why didn't you come to bed?"

She yawned loudly. "I was busy researching. I guess I fell asleep."

"How late were you up?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. Maybe three."

He wasn't sure if he should let her know his concern about her lack of sleep, especially since she hadn't had any coffee yet. Instead, he decided to change the subject.

"What were you researching?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, immediately grasping for her laptop, which Sam had laid on the coffee table. She opened it, clicked a few keys then shut it and placed it back on the table.

"Not yet," she replied adamantly. "_After_ I shower and have coffee."

He watched her leave the room with concern. As soon as he was positive she was upstairs he took her laptop and opened it. However, she had locked it with a password. He knew no amount of trying would get it unlocked even if he had hours or even days. She'd challenged him before and he'd lost. He knew this time would be no different.

After setting the laptop aside, he lumbered into the kitchen much more aware of how drowsy he still was now that the imagined danger of his 'missing' wife was over. He was going to start some coffee brewing, but Bobby had already beat him to it. So he sat at the table silenty to wait for the coffee to finish.

Jessie had come downstairs by the time Sam had finished his first cup of coffee. He smiled brightly as she entered the room, but she only seemed to have eyes for coffee. Once she had her cup, she sat down at the table beside him, taking a long sip before returning his smile.

"So, are we gonna talk about this case, or what?" he asked impatiently.

"What case?" Bobby asked as he laid the newspaper he was reading on the table in front of him.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Couldn't this wait until after my first cup?"

He glanced at her apologetically. "I guess I'm just excited to get back on the road."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "That sounds more like something your brother would say."

He shrugged his shoulders, glancing quickly at Bobby, who raised the paper in front of him once again.

"Okay. What's this about?" she asked impatiently.

"Nothing," Sam replied innocently.

"Bobby," she called questioningly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied from behind his paper.

She was silent, pensive for a few moments, then suddenly a knowing look appeared on her face.

"I get it. You both think I need to get away from here for a while, don't you?" she asked rhetorically. "You're so desperate to get me away from here you actually think a hunt is a good idea for me. Am I right?"

Sam tried to avoid her intense scrutinizing gaze while Bobby continued to hide behind his paper.

She shook her head with derision. "Oh, well, I guess you both might be thinking twice when I tell you about this case."

Bobby kept his head behind the paper, but Sam's sudden look of concern gave him away.

"So, I was right," she stated knowingly. "Good. Then you have no reason to talk me out of this."

An awkward silence filled the room, until Jessie finished her cup of coffee which she proceeded to almost slam down on the table before leaving the room heading towards the livingroom.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Bobby."

"You asked for this, son. Now you're gonna have to deal with it."

He sighed quietly. "I can't win with that woman, can I?"

Bobby laughed. "You're only just getting that?"

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, greeting his brother as he entered the room. He watched as he poured himself a coffee, then proceeded to sit down at the table in his usual spot. He was going to warn him about his wife's plans for them, but he decided against it when she appeared quite suddenly.

"Good morning, Dean," she said as she placed her laptop on the table before proceeding to pour herself another coffee. Once she was settled at the table with her coffee, she opened her laptop and began typing.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning," Dean commented, shooting her a smile.

"Of course," she replied, returning a smile. "I found us a case."

"It's about time," he replied happily. "Nothing like some coffee and a case to make a great morning."

Sam glared at his brother, making him shrug in response.

"Ok, so here's the deal," she began to explain. "I'm not a hundred percent positive what it is we're looking for, but I have a few ideas. I figured Bobby might be able to help me figure it out."

He placed his newspaper onto the table, gazing at her intently and silently.

"I had to go back a few months to put this together," she began to explain. "At first I thought we were dealing with Naguals." She grinned at Bobby who squirmed uncomfortably for a moment. "A newborn baby went missing, which is their M.O. However, a few days later they found the baby. It was dead, it's heart had been eaten but not the rest of it."

"Sounds more like a werewolf," Dean interrupted.

She rolled her eyes, gazing at him with annoyance. "Werewolves aren't in the habit of eating baby hearts, Dean. Besides, it wasn't the right time of the month."

"Okay, I'll shut up," he said as both Bobby and his brother shot him a dirty look.

"Anyway, a week after that, a pregnant woman was attacked in her sleep. At first they thought some crazy person had cut her open to take the baby, but after they did the autopsy, they realized the wounds weren't done with a knife, they were bite wounds of some sort."

"So, something ate the baby?" Sam asked with a horrified look.

"Apparently," she replied sadly. "And it wasn't the only one. There have been seven more of these attacks in the past two months."

Everyone went completely silent, Bobby breaking the silence a few short moments later.

"What do you think it is, Jess?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. All the lore surrounding monsters that eat pregnant mothers and fetuses is based in the Philippines."

"That doesn't mean that one of those monsters hasn't decided to vacation here. We've seen it before."

"I know," she replied. "Are you familiar with Filipino folklore?"

"I've browsed a little."

"Well, I thought it could possibly be a Matruculan. They usually kill the mother and eat the fetus. I couldn't find much about how to kill it, just the same crap copy and pasted from several sites. The husband of the woman must swing a balisong—a kind of knife—above the abdomen of the women while she's in labor." She snorted. "I don't know what that's supposed to accomplish, but I think I'd take my chances of some possible monster attack than someone swinging a knife over me."

"What else?"

"Then I thought it could possibly be a Manananggal, also known as a Tik-tik. They love the taste of fetus hearts, which they eat with a long tongue. But they don't eat live children's hearts, or kill the mother, so I'm pretty sure that's not it either."

"What's your best guess?"

"I think it's an Aswang. They say it's a combination of a vampire and a witch, and is almost always female. They say it looks like a normal person by day, but can shapeshift into an animal at night. Usually a large black dog, a boar, bat, cat or even a snake. They don't only eat fetuses, they also eat children and sometimes break into funeral homes to steal recently dead corpses, or break into homes to drink human blood. However, their favorite meal is fetuses."

"Have you checked any other news articles to see if any bodies had been stolen from funeral homes recently, or anyone complaining of being attacked by a vampire at night?"

"No, not yet. I fell asleep before I got that far," she replied slightly ashamed.

"Why don't you make breakfast while I do some research?" he suggested.

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance, but didn't argue with him. He was obviously worried about her lack of sleep, and probably about the case as well. If anyone else had suggested it she probably would've protested, or at least had a snide remark lined up. She also knew she wasn't going to win so there was no point.

"Fine," she replied, sounding as agreeable as she could.

The boys traded a look of amazement, which they tried to hide from her. However she did notice. She just chose not to say anything. Staying unpredictible would keep them on their toes. Besides, she was too tired to start or finish anything at the moment. And since Bobby had mentioned it, she was hungry. So she set to work cooking up breakfast for everyone.

After breakfast, Jessie sat down at the table with Bobby to discuss what he'd found and to help with additional research, while Sam and Dean were in the library searching through some old books. They found the same information as she'd found online, so there was nothing new, at least not in Bobby's extensive library.

"I definitely think we're looking for an Aswang," Jessie said to the brothers as they walked into the kitchen. "Bobby and I found a few news articles about bodies being stolen from funeral homes around the area where the pregnant women were killed."

"Uh, that's great," Sam replied with very little enthusiasm. "Now we know what we're looking for."

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Can I talk to you privately in the livingroom, Sam?" she asked, heading into the livingroom without waiting for a response.

When Sam entered the livingroom, she placed her hands on her hips in frustration, but the concern in his eyes lessened her anger. She dropped her arms back to her side, sighing loudly.

"What's going on, Sam?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's always one step forward, two steps back with us, isn't it?" she asked with frustration. "Well, you're not gonna talk me out of

working on this case."

"I wasn't gonna do any such thing," he replied innocently.

"But you're worried, right?" she asked. "You're not gonna lie to me, are you?"

"No, I'm not gonna lie to you. But you can't ask me not to worry about you," he said with frustration and concern. "You're gonna use yourself as bait to lure this thing, aren't you? Isn't that your plan?"

"Yes," she replied without hesitation.

"And you can't see how I might be worried about you _and_ our son?" he said in a pleading voice. "Or did you forget it's not just yourself that you need to worry about?"

She glared at him furiously. "How dare you even say that to me, Sam. All I've done in the past few months was to protect him. I'm not gonna let anything happen to him."

"Then why would you be so willing to risk both your lives to catch this monster?"

"You mean, other than the obvious reasons? Like, that's my job?!" she replied sarcastically. "Our job is to save people. What kind of person would I be to allow some monster to continue munching on poor innocent unborn children?"

He took a few steps closer to her, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting embrace. The tears she was on the verge of spilling began to roll down her face, which she had buried in his chest. He began to stroke her hair lightly, until she pulled away just enough so she could gaze into his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I guess it just kinda hit home for me, being pregnant and all," she replied as she wiped her eyes.

He smiled supportively, brushing away a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "I'm sorry, too. I should've realized how something like that might make you feel."

"I guess that's why I couldn't sleep last night. Once I found that story I just had to find out what was going on. It made me..." she suddenly trailed off.

"Made you what?" he asked with concern.

She averted her gaze for a moment, suddenly uncomfortable. She didn't want to talk about the case that ended up with her so drunk she slept with Dean, but she didn't have much of a choice. "It made me think back to those poor children those vamps turned. We couldn't save them and it killed me."

His eyes showed his discomfort with the subject the moment she mentioned it, but they were soon full of concern instead.

"It was tough on all of us, Jess."

"I know it was, Sam. But it's worse when I think about it now," she replied, tears beginning to fill her eyes again. "All I can think about is how I would feel if something happened to our baby."

"Nothing is gonna happen to him," he said, pulling her into a reassuring embrace. "I'm not gonna let it."

She knew she was being overly emotional, but she couldn't help it. So instead of trying to fight it, she buried her face in Sam's chest and quietly sobbed until she felt better.

"I'm sorry for being like this, Sam," she apologized as she wiped tears from her face. "Being pregnant really sucks sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" he teased with a grin.

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "You wanna know one good thing about it?" she asked, waiting for him to nod. "I could slap you right now and blame it on my hormones."

He chuckled lightly, although his smile faded as she kept a serious look. It was only when she laughed that he was able to relax and laugh as well.

"I love teasing you, Sam," she said with a grin, placing her hand on the side of his cheek. "Do you really think I would do that to you?"

He smiled. "With you, anything is possible."

"I suppose that's true," she replied with a smile, then leaned in to kiss him lightly. "Thanks for making me feel better."

"Always my pleasure."

"Now that I feel better, I'm gonna head up to my room and pack. It's gonna be nice to go somewhere I don't have to wear a thick winter coat."

His look of concern returned as the subject once again shifted to the case. He knew he wouldn't be able to talk her out of pursuing the case and he wondered if she should even try. After all they'd spoken about, he now knew how important it was to her. However, he couldn't help but worry. He also knew there was no way he could hide it from her. He could only hope she would understand. And hopefully not hold it against him.

"Hey, don't worry so much, Sam," she said reassuringly. "I might not be great when it comes to dealing with demons. But monsters I can handle."

He smiled lightly as she kissed him once on the lips before leaving his embrace to head up to their room. However, his smile disappeared the moment she turned her back to him. It didn't matter what she said, he wasn't going to stop worrying. That was his right as a husband, and soon-to-be father. Nothing anyone could say to him would convince him otherwise.

He walked into the kitchen, interrupting a discussion between his brother and Bobby. He knew he'd interrupted it, since they stopped speaking the moment he entered, both of them glancing at him strangely.

"What's going on?"

They traded a look between each other before glancing at Sam once again.

"I hate to suggest this, Sam," Bobby began, "but I think you need to convince Jessie not to go on this hunt."

He snorted. "That's not gonna happen, Bobby. If you don't want her to go on this hunt you'll just have to tell her yourself."

"She won't listen to me, Sam. But she might listen to you."

He laughed derisively. "I just spoke to her about this and there is no way she will. And honestly, I don't blame her."

"Are you being serious?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I am."

"Don't you give a damn about her?"

"Screw you, Dean!" he replied angrily. "You just don't want her to come with us, that's all."

"What are you talking about, Sam?"

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know you better than anyone. You don't want her with us because you're afraid she can't hunt in her condition. I've seen the disapproving glances and the eye rolls when she talks about hunting."

"Can you blame me? It's not just her ass on the line out there."

He shook his head in anger and frustration. "You know what, Dean? You can stay here. Me and Jessie can take care of it ourselves."

"Sam—"

Sam left the room quickly before his brother could say anymore. He wasn't upset that Bobby thought she shouldn't be hunting, since he was looking at it from a protective point of view. But he was upset about his brother. He figured that he was only thinking about himself and how it impacted him.

As he walked up the stairs he realized that he'd been much too harsh with his brother. He knew he wasn't being completely selfish, he did care about Jessie and he was sure that was his true motivation behind not wanting her to hunt. But after his earlier talk, and how she handled herself the night before, he was sure she could handle herself. He just couldn't stop worrying no matter what he believed.

"What's wrong, Sam?" Jessie asked as he walked into the room.

"Why would there be anything wrong?" he asked, trying to play innocent.

"Well for one thing, you're answering my question with another question," she replied.

"It's just Dean being Dean. Nothing for you to worry about."

"Oh, okay," she replied, turning her attention back to packing. "Would you like me to pack for you?"

"That would be great," he said with mild enthusiasm.

She smiled as she approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Your brother will come around."

"What?"

She laughed lightly. "I'm guessing, '_Dean being Dean_', has something to do with me hunting. Am I correct?"

He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "How do you—"

She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "I'm not blind, Sam. And I'm definitely not stupid. I've noticed his attitude when I discuss hunting."

"And you're not angry?" he asked as he grasped her hand in his.

She glanced down for a moment before speaking. "No, not exactly. I told you before, I understand why everyone might have a problem with it. But besides not being able to fit in tight spots, I haven't had any issues."

"Try explaining that to him."

She smiled lightly. "I'll leave that to you. I have packing to do."

He sighed in resignation. "Wish me luck."

She kissed him for a moment before she went back to packing their things, leaving him no choice but to head back downstairs to confront his brother once again.

When he reached the kitchen, Dean was alone at the table cleaning his gun. He glanced up to acknowledge his brother's presence but went back to the task at hand without so much as a word. He sighed, unsure how to broach the subject with his brother again.

"Dean—"

"Sam, can we _not_ have this discussion again."

"We _are_ having this discussion again, Dean," he said adamantly. "I meant what I said before. If you're afraid she's not in condition to hunt then stay here, but I won't tell her she can't go. She's made up her mind and I'm not about to try and change it."

"I knew you were whipped," he replied with a sarcastic grin.

"That has nothing to do with it," he replied angrily. "As much as I didn't want to admit it, she's more than capable of hunting. Don't forget she's the one who saved your ass last night."

He snorted. "With your help."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Do you even hear yourself? You and I hunt together all the time. We save each other's asses."

"Exactly. Together."

"And what do you think we're gonna do on this hunt, leave her alone?"

He glared at his brother in response but stayed silent, returning back to cleaning his gun.

"Dean. I don't want her to hunt either. I'm scared something's gonna happen to her. But I can't keep her a prisoner, now can I? Besides, nothing's changed. Maybe you haven't noticed, but she moves just as agile as she always has."

He stopped cleaning his gun, gazing up at his brother questioningly. "Are you still trying to convince me, or yourself?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine with this, Dean. Besides, weren't we just saying that she needed to get away from here for a while? This is the way to do it."

Dean felt torn. While he knew Sam was right, Jessie was up to hunting. He still thought she shouldn't be. It wasn't because he was worried about his own ass, he was worried about his brother. If something happened to her, he wasn't sure what Sam would do, and he really didn't want to find out. But he had to admit, sticking around Bobby's house and waiting for demons to come knocking wasn't such a great idea either.

"You're probably right, Sam," he agreed.

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion at his response, but decided not to call him on it. He'd agreed—albeit reluctantly—and that was good enough for him. Although he didn't exactly feel like he'd won anything, he was glad the 'fight' was over.

It was only about an hour later when the three of them hit the road in the Impala. Jessie had put up a bit of a fight over taking Dean's car, but it was more for show than anything. She knew it would be best to take only one vehicle, and she knew Dean would never agree to take hers, but she had to at least try. Especially since the drive to Galveston, Texas was about nineteen hours from Sioux Falls. She wanted to be comfortable. Somehow she feared the Impala wasn't quite going to fit that category.

They managed to travel for four hours without interruption before Jessie finally made Dean find somewhere to eat. She'd brought some things to snack on, but it took a lot more than snacks to satisfy her hunger these days. And while Dean complained about stopping, he was just as famished as she seemed to be. Or at least he managed to eat more than she did, including two helpings of pie. She teased him about having sympathy hunger, which Sam had a great laugh about. Although Dean wasn't quite as amused.

The trio headed back out on the road for several hours before Sam suggested finding a motel so they could catch a couple hours of sleep. He wasn't so much tired as he was concerned that Jessie needed some proper sleep, not dozing off while sitting up in the backseat. And while she said she was fine, he insisted anyway.

She woke up a few hours after she'd fallen asleep with a heavy need to urinate. And although she needed to go badly, she couldn't bring herself to get out of bed, she was so warm and comfortable sleeping beside Sam. But after attempting unsuccessfully to fall asleep again, she climbed out of bed.

On her way out of the bathroom, she took a wild stab into the dark, her fist coming into contact with something solid. She'd assumed it was Dean, but she couldn't be sure until she heard him curse.

"What was that for?" Dean asked in a hushed voice.

"Don't sneak up on me in the dark," she admonished quietly.

"I wasn't sneaking," he lied. "I just needed to use the bathroom."

"Right," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "Are you sure you weren't testing to see if I still have my hunting instincts?"

"What? I would never do that."

She chuckled lightly. "Whatever you say, Dean. Just don't try that again or next time it might not be my fist."

He groaned.

"And next time it might not be your shoulder."

He snorted before shuffling into the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

She chuckled as she headed to the fridge, although she was quickly disappointed when she opened it to find she'd drank the last of her juice already and all that was left in the fridge was beer. She was going to get herself a glass of water from the tap, but decided against it. She wasn't really thirsty enough and it wasn't exactly what she was thirsting for. So she climbed back into bed, snuggling up to Sam who moaned as she made herself comfortable but stayed asleep. Closing her eyes, she could now smell his manly scent, which made her feel a familiar pull in her loins. She now wished she'd insisted on Dean having his own room. As difficult as it was, eventually she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Jessie awakened several hours later feeling rested. She rolled over to find the bed empty before opening her eyes and scanning the room. She spied the brothers sitting at the table speaking in hushed voices. It made her suspicious, but she wasn't paranoid—or at least she tried telling herself that. She did her best to ignore it as she headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Breakfast was waiting for her when she got out of the shower. The boys insisted on eating it in the car since they were both in a hurry to get back on the road. And while she would've rather sat down and eaten a decent breakfast, she couldn't argue with them. She wanted to get to their destination as soon as they could as well. They needed time to canvas the town before it got dark.

After travelling for much of the day, with only a few quick stops along the way, they made it to Galveston by late afternoon. They grabbed a quick bite to eat before checking into a motel that was somewhat centralized to where many of the attacks had happened. Jessie immediately pulled out her laptop and began researching addresses of witnesses for the boys, so they could go and question them while she stayed in the motel. Normally she would've objected to staying behind, but she needed some alone time. After promising to stay in the motel, Sam and Dean left Jessie to canvass the neighbourhood.

As soon as she was positive the boys were far enough away, she headed down the street to a small diner and called Crowley on her phone. As hard as she tried to deny it, she needed what he had.

As usual, he had to tease, berate and trade barbs with her before giving her what she needed. At this point it was entirely usual. If he hadn't given her a difficult time she would've been worried. It was the strange and ominous warning he gave her that concerned her. But as always, he wouldn't elaborate so she stormed out of the diner after paying for her coffee and headed back to the motel room.

Once she was able to focus again, she began to continue her research until she exhausted every possible lead she'd had, and even some she came up with by accident. While she was positive she knew exactly what they were hunting. She wasn't exactly sure how to find it, or how it was choosing its victims. She didn't want to wait until it attacked another pregnant woman, she wanted to catch it before that happened. And although she was entirely willing to use herself as bait, she didn't want to if there was another way. She just couldn't see one at the moment.

It was about three a.m. when the boys sauntered loudly into the motel room, startling Jessie awake, who'd fallen asleep with her head on the kitchen table. Her first reaction was to reach for her gun, which was lying on the table beside her. However, Dean flipped the light switch on before her hand reached it.

"That's a nice look for you," he said with a grin, pointing to the red mark on her cheek from partially lying on a book.

She rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her cheek. "I'd say the same but you look like crap."

"Yeah, thanks," he replied sarcastically. "While you were sleeping, I was out canvassing all night. And don't forget who was up all day driving."

"Would you like an award, Dean?"

"That's enough, both of you," Sam interrupted wearily. "We're all tired and cranky. Can we give it a rest?"

"Of course," she agreed, looking at him with concern. "Did you find out anything?"

"Not really anything we didn't know already," he replied sitting down at the table beside her.

She stood up from the table, walked around to where he was sitting and began to rub his shoulders. "I think you just need some sleep, Sam. We can worry more about it in the morning."

He stood up, turned around, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lightly.

"I think so, too," he replied with a light smile.

She returned his smile. "Good. Because I'm still tired. But I have to use the bathroom first."

"Hey! What about my shoulder rub?" Dean asked as she turned away.

She turned around to say something sarcastic, instead rolling her eyes and continuing her way into the bathroom. She was still too groggy to think of something witty to say, so she'd rather not respond at all.

When she came out of the bathroom, Dean was sitting on his bed taking his shoes off and Sam was already lying down in his bed. She hadn't really thought about it before, but she suddenly found it odd how both brothers were so used to sleeping in their clothes. In the past she'd found occassion to sleep fully dressed, but most often she at least put some comfortable pants on, she found it difficult to fall asleep in her jeans. Passing out from being drunk notwithstanding.

By the time she crawled into bed with Sam, he had fallen asleep facing away from her. She was slightly upset she couldn't crawl into his arms, but she was tired enough to fall asleep without worrying about it too much. In fact, she was asleep almost as soon as she was comfortable.

Jessie woke up just before the sun came up in the morning, waking before either of the Winchesters. After following her regular morning routine, she slipped out of the motel room to grab coffee and breakfast for everyone.

She was surprised that neither of them had awakened when she left, but even more surprised when no one awakened when she returned. Even after making plenty of noise setting the coffee and food down, neither of the boys woke up.

She decided to drink coffee and eat while researching, leaving the boys to sleep. She'd never known them to sleep in, but she figured there had to be a first time for everything. And she thought they deserved it. Especially Dean. He had been up almost a full twenty four hours, as well as stopping the night before that to sleep at a motel for her, even though it was the last thing he'd wanted to do. She may always give him a hard time—and vice versa—but she really appreciated everything he'd done for her.

Sam woke up shortly thereafter, just shortly before his brother. He used the time to steal a few kisses, which almost led to something Dean wouldn't have appreciated waking up to see. It took a lot of willpower on both of their parts to separate themselves. And even more willpower on his part to get into the shower alone. And by the time he was finished, Dean was awake and already eating the food she had brought for them earlier.

"About last night?" she asked when Sam sat down at the table to eat his warmed up breakfast. "Did you find out anything new?"

"No," Dean replied, feeling slightly insulted at being ignored. "Nothing we didn't already know."

"So all we know is the pregnant victims had only that in common and the dead ones had that in common," she replied. "What about the bitten ones?"

"Same."

"You mean there are no common denominators?"

"Not that we found," he replied. "What about you?"

She sighed in frustration. "Same."

"There has to be some sort of pattern to the attacks," Sam stated.

"What can I say, Sam. I couldn't find anything," she replied with irritation. "Check the maps if you want. I marked every attack we know of."

"Is there at least a centralized area?" Dean asked as he got up to take a look at the map on the wall.

"Nope," she replied tersely.

He scanned the map, noting she'd posted the news articles with a color code to show how each victim died. It was then he realized how much she had in common with his brother. She'd always been eager to research, just like Sam, but he'd never really noticed that about her. He wasn't sure why. But he now understood why they seemed so well suited for each other.

"This map makes the attacks look completely random," he remarked.

"I know," she replied with disappointment.

"I guess we've got our work cut out for ourselves this time."

"Yeah, I guess we do," she replied absentmindedly.

He laughed teasingly. "Looks like you and Sam will be in heaven."

She turned to Sam, who rolled his eyes at the same time she did, causing them to giggle lightly.

"What's so funny?"

"Well, Dean," she began, a devious grin on her face, "since we're delegated to the research, I guess you get to be errand boy."

"What?"

"Yup," she replied, grinning brightly. "Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Coffee. And whatever else we need."

Sam laughed. "You talked yourself into that one, Dean."

He groaned before standing up from the table, mumbling something about '_not fair_' and '_two against one_' as he headed into the bathroom. It only caused the couple to giggle at him, which caused him to slam the door a little harder than he normally would have.

"I guess you'd better get your laptop out, Sam. We're in for a lot of researching," she said, after she stopped laughing.

He reached out his hand, gazing into her eyes. "I hope it's not all gonna be work."

Remembering how close they'd gotten into doing something with Dean around earlier she pulled her hand away slowly with an embarrassed smile. "Maybe later. But right now it's time to work."

"Yeah, ok," he replied with disappointment. "Work."

She turned her attention towards her laptop hiding a smile.

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since an update, but I've been struggling with things. I'll try to do better.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Three days later, the Winchesters weren't any closer to catching the monster they were hunting. All their leads had long dried up and there was no new information and no new attacks. And while that relieved all of them. They really wanted to take this monster down, and soon. But with nothing to go on, there was a great deal of frustration amongst them. However, no one was as frustrated as Jessie.

She'd been pretty much cooped up in the motel room for the past three days researching with Sam. While some of that time was alone time while Dean was out having some fun of his own. The majority of the time was not fun. In fact, she began feeling like the walls were closing in on her and all she wanted to do was get outside—alone. But there was no way to do that without arousing Sam's suspicions.

By the fourth day, she just had to get out of that motel room. She waited until Dean had gone out to get lunch, and Sam was in the bathroom before leaving quietly, taking only a small wad of cash and her handgun.

She headed down the street for a few blocks, heading deeper into town. She knew it would be easier to get 'lost' that way, and she knew it wasn't where Dean was heading. When she was sure she was far enough away, she called Crowley.

She was sitting alone in a booth in a small restaurant having coffee when a strange man sat down across from her. She was about to ask who he was when he volunteered the information freely.

"Crowley sent me," he said, his eyes flashing black for a moment.

Her hand instinctually inched towards the salt shaker on the table.

"Why didn't he come himself?" she demanded.

"You shouldn't ask so many damn questions," he replied with a sneer, passing a flask to her across the table.

As she reached for the flask, he grabbed a hold of her with his opposite hand.

"You should really learn to be more careful," he said as he squeezed her hand firmly. "Crowley said I can't hurt you, but he never said I couldn't have some fun with you."

She struggled against his hand for a moment before spilling the salt shaker on him. He yelped in pain, causing him to let go of her hand. She slipped the flask into her pocket as everyone in the room turned to look in their direction for a moment.

"You wanna try that again?" she asked harshly, yet quietly, once everyone had looked away once again.

The demon glared at her, backing down in his seat.

"Tell your boss he better be the one to show up next time," she said dismissively.

He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something. Instead he scurried from the table and the building.

She sighed in relief, relaxing in her seat slightly. She'd been feeling so out of control, she was afraid what she would've done to that demon if he'd pushed her any farther. And in that moment, it didn't even matter there were witnesses. But now that she had a moment to think about it, she was glad he'd just taken off. If she'd attacked him in a room full of people, she would've screwed up her chances at finding the monster they were hunting, and she couldn't let that happen. She was going to have to be more careful.

After paying for her meal, she left the restaurant heading towards the nearest park. Since it was midday, it wasn't very busy. There were a few mothers walking with their children and the odd jogger, otherwise it was quiet.

Waiting until no one was around, she removed the lid of the flask and began to down its contents. She was more afraid that someone would think she was drinking alcohol, than what was really in the flask. As crazy as it seemed, she didn't want anyone to think she was going to be a terrible mother. She was already afraid of that herself.

She stayed on the park bench for a short while watching people go by. She wasn't in a hurry to return to the stuffy, cramped motel room, especially since she knew exactly how Sam and Dean would react when she finally did get back. However, when two elderly ladies came to rest on the bench and wanted to rub her pregnant belly, she made a hasty departure, heading back to the motel.

Her feet were sore by the time she made it back. However, she knew she wouldn't get any sympathy for that. She could've taken a cab around town, but she'd felt like walking in the fresh air, especially since the weather was nice and warm—and no snow.

She noticed Dean's car was sitting in the parking lot, so she assumed both boys were in the room waiting for her to get back. She steeled herself by the doorway for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to prepare for the onslaught she was sure to receive the moment the door opened and she walked through it. And as the doorknob turned and met no resistance, she knew they were waiting for her. They never left the door unlocked.

The moment she walked through the door, both heads turned in her direction. Dean was closest to her, sitting at the kitchen table holding onto his cell phone. He looked angry. Sam was standing by the couch with his phone in his hand as well. He looked relieved at first, but it only took a moment to change to disappointment, and finally anger.

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Dean beat him to it.

"Where the hell did you go?" he asked furiously.

"Dean!" Sam yelled harshly, glaring at his brother knowingly.

He sighed as he stood up from his chair. Shoving his phone in his pocket, he shot her one more angry—and disappointed—look, before leaving the motel.

Jessie stood there with her head hung low, unable to look Sam in the eyes, even as he approached her. She knew now that she was wrong for taking off without letting them know where she was going, but at the time that didn't really matter to her. She was antsy, bored, frustrated and most of all she needed what was in that flask the demon had given her. She needed demon blood. It wasn't just a way to protect her baby any longer. She needed it too. As much as she tried to tell herself it wasn't affecting her, she knew deep down inside it was and she hated herself for it. But she would do anything to protect her child. No matter what. Even if it meant destroying everything she stood for and everything she was in the process.

"You broke your promise to me," he said with disappointment.

His words hurt her more than she imagined they would have. His anger she could've handled. But his disappointment was something else entirely.

"I'm sorry, Sam," she said with remorse. "I was climbing the walls and I just wanted to have some time to myself."

"Couldn't you have asked me, Jess? Instead of having me worry about you. Wondering where the hell you went. Especially with a baby eating monster on the loose," he replied with exasperation.

"I know, Sam. I'm sorry. It was an impulse."

He sighed with exasperation. "I know you're impulsive, Jess. It's one of the things I love about you. But you promised not to go anywhere without someone."

She hated that she'd disappointed him, and reminding her of the promise she'd made only made her feel worse. Despite all of it, she knew she would do it all over again. It didn't make her feel any better about it at all. She wished there was another way.

"I don't know what else to say, Sam," she said with regret.

"Look at me," he pleaded, reaching out to grasp her hand firmly.

She raised her head slowly, her gaze hesitating slightly before finally meeting his concerned eyes.

"You scare the hell outta me when you do things like this," he said, running his free hand through his hair in frustration. "And Dean..."

She swallowed hard, feeling terrible about how she'd made Sam feel. She just didn't know how to make it better. She knew she'd do just about anything for him. However, her mothering instincts had taken over her life and the baby came first. With all the guilt she was carrying, it was difficult for her to even think straight.

His free hand moved up to her face, holding it gently as he gazed deeply into her eyes.

"I get it, Jess. I really do. But besides your promise, did you forget there's not only a baby eating monster, but demons _and_ hunters looking for you?" he said softly, yet firmly.

She averted her gaze in shame for a moment. She had momentarily forgotten about the hunter—or hunters—after her. All she'd been thinking about was blood—and demons. Somehow she'd managed to forget about the possibility of a hunter after her.

"I won't do it again, Sam. I swear," she promised vehemently.

He was still for a few moments, pondering a response. He'd gone through the whole gambit of emotions while she'd been 'missing'. From fear to anger and everything in between. But as angry as he'd been, he was relieved she was safe and that was all that mattered to him now. He couldn't see a point in staying angry. Instead, he released her hand, grasping her face firmly with both hands and began to kiss her passionately.

She didn't return his kiss at first, completely surprised by his sudden action. But she felt a familiar pull in her loins as he roughly, yet carefully, pushed her against the wall, his hands pulling at her clothes, that made every other thought in her head disappear. She allowed herself to be caught up in the passion, following Sam's lead without hesitation—which eventually lead them to the floor.

There was an awkwardness between them that she'd never felt in the past after making love to him. He seemed to be distant, avoiding her eyes as they picked up their clothes, and she didn't like it. She understood she'd screwed up, but he'd been the one to initiate sex between them. She didn't understand what was wrong. And as much as she wanted to call him on it, she decided not to at the moment. She wanted to enjoy the afterglow of the moment, even if he was being distant. It didn't make the moment any less pleasurable. Besides, she wasn't sure when Dean would be back and she needed to get dressed before he walked in on them while they were still naked. She didn't think that would go over very well at all.

She hid in the bathroom for a short time after getting dressed just so she could think. She was still sitting on the toilet lid when Sam walked in. He glanced at her curiously, closing the door behind him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied impassively, continuing to stare at the wall. "Why would you ask?"

He stepped in front of her. "Why wouldn't I ask? You've been in here for a while."

"Oh."

He squatted down so he could face her. "Is it, Dean?"

She gazed into his eyes for a moment, shifting them when she became uncomfortable. "No. It's not, Dean. Him I can handle."

"Is it, me?" he asked with surprise.

She sighed with regret. "Sam. Just leave it alone. Please?"

"Not if I've done something to upset you," he replied as he reached out, placing his hand on her knee.

She jerked her knee away. "Sam. Please go."

He was still for a moment, then suddenly looked horrified. "Oh, my God! I thought I might have, but, I wasn't sure. I'm so sorry."

"What are you going on about?" she asked with confusion, reaching out for his hand.

He allowed her to take his hand gazing at her with confusion. "I thought I, uh, um, I thought I may have—forced you."

"What?" she said with shock, squeezing his hand tightly. "No! You could never do that to me! Why would you think that?"

Relief washed over his face. "Thank God."

An uncomfortable silence followed, although quickly broken by Sam.

"Why did you look at me like you did then?" he asked.

She gazed at him strangely. "You seemed to be distant. It made me upset."

He smiled slightly, shaking his head. "I was ashamed, Jess. I thought I'd forced you into something you didn't want to do."

She smiled thoughtfully, reaching for his face, touching it tenderly. "I don't think there would ever be a time I wouldn't want you." She watched as he smiled before speaking again. "Besides, if you had tried to force me, you'd never be able to have sex again."

He smiled uncomfortably, unsure whether her response was a threat or a promise. Either way, he was happy he'd been wrong.

After a short kiss, the couple left the bathroom hand in hand. Jessie did her best to ignore Dean's scornful and disapproving looks by thinking about the moment she'd just spent with Sam. She knew she'd eventually have to deal with him, but she really didn't want to at the moment. Regardless of what had happened between them, she knew Sam was still upset with her. He'd forgiven her, but she was positive he wasn't going to trust her again so easily. And if he was still upset after everything, she knew Dean would be even more difficult.

Although there was a great deal of awkwardness in the air, the three of them did manage to discuss the case. And that was pretty much all they discussed. It wasn't until Sam went out to grab dinner, leaving his brother and wife alone, that the discussion shifted. And while she would've liked to have argued back with Dean, she took his anger and disappointment without any excuses. She'd been the one in the wrong, and if she wanted them to continue trusting her, she had to at least seem worthy of it. She knew how badly she'd screwed up, she only wished she felt more guilty than she did. However, she knew she'd do anything to keep her baby safe. That she would never regret.

After exhausting every lead they'd had, the three of them turned in early for the night, only to be awoken a few hours later by a phone call on Dean's phone. Sam and Jessie waited patiently while he was speaking to whomever was on the other end of the line, quietly trying to guess who it was. Once Dean ended the call, the two of them waited silently for him to speak.

"That was Bobby," he said, the couple exchanging knowing looks.

"What did he want?" Sam asked, since his brother had taken too long to explain.

He snorted. "Besides calling us a bunch of idjits?" he replied, shaking his head at their questioning looks. "We didn't watch the eleven o'clock news. Apparently there's been another attack."

"What kind of attack?" she asked with a horrified look.

"Bobby said there isn't much information they're releasing to the public," he explained. "But he called the police and they told him that someone had stolen a freshly dead body, drained it of its fluids, then dropped the body off where they found it."

She sighed in relief. "I suppose we should check it out. Hopefully the police will have wrapped up their investigation by now."

"Bobby said they did. They weren't too concerned about the body. They figure someone is trying to sell the fluids or something."

"Wow. Wonder how long it took them to come up with that theory?" she replied sarcastically.

He chuckled. "We better get going. It'll only be dark for so long."

The three of them quickly got ready and were on the road in less than five minutes. It was almost all the way across town, and even at this hour of the morning it still took almost half an hour. And even longer for them to find the exact place they were looking for, since the area was surrounding by warehouses upon warehouses, many of them dilapidated. It was almost a maze.

Dean parked the Impala close by, in case they needed to leave hastily. No one figured there would be any need, but you could never be too careful. For all they knew, the cops could be nearby hoping the criminals would return to the scene of the crime.

Armed with flashlights, the trio fanned out to look for any clue that might aid them in finding the creature they were hunting. They had no idea what they were searching for, which was made more difficult by the fact the police had cleaned up the area.

"Am I the only who thinks we're wasting our time here?" Dean asked no one in particular as he kicked some pebbles in frustration.

Sam sighed. "No. I don't think it's just you."

"Actually—" Jessie began, "I did find something interesting." She waited until the boys walked closer before explaining more. "Look at these drag marks, as if the body had been dragged and dumped here. The one thing I do know is that creature is strong enough, it wouldn't need to drag it's victim here. This looks like the work of a person, not a monster."

"Why would a person drain the body of fluids?" Dean asked with confusion.

"Think about it, Dean," she replied. "There's been a rash of strange deaths and dead bodies for months. What's the best way to murder someone and make it look like someone else did it?"

"Maybe it would help if we could examine the body," Sam added.

She yawned. "When we get back to the motel I'll check on the status of an autopsy."

"It could always wait until the morning," he suggested, a hint of concern in his voice.

"It's okay, Sam, I'm—"

She didn't get a chance to finish that sentence as she was being tackled to the ground by Dean only a split second later. They heard the sound of a bullet ricocheting off the cement as they hit the ground, Dean doing his best to make sure she fell safely on top of him.

"Jessie!"

"I'm fine, Sam," she replied, easing herself off the ground while continuing to stay low.

"Thank God I saw the laser sight on your back," Dean said as he pulled his gun out of his waist before scrambling closer to her.

"Thanks, Dean," she said, pulling her gun from her waist.

"I'm pretty sure it came from that direction," Dean said, pointing to the building on the left.

"What're we waiting for then?" she asked before talking off in the direction of the building.

"Jessie!" the brothers yelled in unison, chasing after her as quickly as they could.

The three of them managed to make it to the building at about the same time. And while the boys seemed winded, Jessie was completely running on adrenaline. Her mind—and heart—was racing too quickly for her to even think about stopping.

"I'll take this door," she said, pointing to the door a few feet away from them. "You two should go around the other way and find another door so whoever it is doesn't get away."

"Jessie—"

"Sam! Dammit!" she yelled. "Can we just find this asshole without arguing?"

He sighed, shooting his brother a pleading look. His brother only shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't about to get in the middle of an argument. Besides, he wanted to catch this person as much as she did. He didn't understand why Sam was being so hesitant.

She took off through the door without another word, not even looking back to see if she'd been followed. Not that she needed to look. Her instincts told her they hadn't.

The warehouse she found herself in was one of the few around that didn't look like it could fall to the ground at any minute. It was virtually dark, except for a few lights shining from high above and the odd emergency light that could be found down the corridor. It didn't even look like a regular warehouse. It looked like it had begun to be converted into something else. Perhaps apartments, or office space. Either way, she found herself heading up a flight of metal stairs that was very near the doorway she'd come in. Stepping on them made more noise than she intended, but catching whoever was responsible was probably a long shot anyway. If they were a hunter—as she suspected—she figured they'd have run the moment they missed their target—especially if they knew what was good for them. There weren't many who didn't know the reputation of the Winchesters. And of those who did, very few would even dare stick around to face their wrath.

Once she reached the top of the stairs, she continued down the corridor, stopping to listen at each doorway she encountered. It was the fifth doorway, which faced the outer walls of the building, where she thought she'd heard something. Holding her gun steady in her hands, she backed up to the wall, side stepping her way to the door. She listened quietly for a moment, turning the knob slowly after she didn't hear anything. And after waiting for a moment to see if anyone was there, she proceeded through the doorway.

The moment she stepped through the threshhold, she felt the air displacement of a fist fly by her head only missing her by an inch. She was able to move away quick enough to avoid a second fist, kicking her leg out, coming into contact with the soft flesh of a stomach. The man emitting a groan as he fell to the floor.

"You'd better stay down!" she yelled as she dove for the light switch, wincing momentarily as the bright lights sent a sharp pain through her eyes. However, she didn't take her eyes off the man, keeping her gun aimed in his direction.

"You're not going to shoot me," he replied with a defiant laugh.

"Try me," she said through gritted teeth. "Move and you'll find out."

The man moved his legs slowly, placing his arms behind him in an attempt to stand, but before he could, she fired a warning shot that nearly hit his leg, causing him to shift away slightly, his bravado quickly turning into fear.

"You've probably got two minutes before Sam and Dean get here. Which means you have less than two minutes to tell me who sent you and a reason why I should let you live," she warned, her gun aimed at his heart.

"I'm a hunter, like you," he said through a shaky voice. "Hunters don't kill each other."

She snorted derisively. "Yet you tried to murder me."

"It's nothing personal."

She snorted in disbelief. "Then why?"

"Brandon sent me. He, uh, told me your baby is an abomination that needs to be killed."

"And I'm what, just an innocent casuality? Collateral damage?"

He laughed in disbelief. "You're hardly innocent."

She gazed at him impassively. "And how would you know? You don't know me."

"You can't be innocent. You're a hunter. There's blood all over your hands."

"You're right," she replied coldly. "So what's a little more?"

"You wouldn't," he said, his face suddenly looking terrified.

"Like I said, you don't know me. You don't know what I'm willing to do to protect my child," she replied, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "A mother protecting her child is one of the most dangerous monsters you'll ever meet."

"No!" he yelled, attempting to scramble away. But he was too slow. She hit him in the chest before he could do little more than scream.

With his body sprawled on the floor unmoving, she approached it cautiously. The gaping hole in his chest wound told her what she needed to know—he was dead. However, she squatted down and grasped his wrist to check for a pulse. There was none.

Now that the immediate danger was over, she stood up, staring down at the body of the man. She was beginning to feel shaky from the adrenaline rush that she was now coming down from. She always hated the feeling, more now than any other time in the past. She'd just killed a man. It wasn't the first time. But it was the first time she'd done it intentionally. It made her feel dirty.

It wasn't more than a few seconds later that Sam and Dean came rushing through the doorway calling her name. She was still staring at the body, unmoving, shaky, wracked with guilt. She didn't even respond to them, her eyes unblinking. It wasn't until Sam stood in front of her, grasping her face lightly, gazing into her eyes with concern that she finally moved, wrapping her arms around him, burying her head in his chest.

"Are you okay?" he asked, speaking quietly.

She pulled away slightly, gazing into his eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay, Sam. He didn't hurt me."

"I can see that," he said tenderly. "But are you okay?"

She smiled lightly and nodded. "I think so."

"Good. Then I think we should get out of here."

She nodded and turned around, walking from the room with the brothers closely behind her. They were exchanging worried looks between themselves that they wouldn't have allowed Jessie to see if she'd been looking. Both of them knew exactly how taking a person's life could affect someone's state of mind. They also knew how she was used to dealing with these problems—alcohol. And since she wasn't able to drink, they were definitely concerned about how she was going to deal with it.

The three of them were completely silent during the ride back to their motel room. Each of them wrapped up in their own thoughts. The boys were unsure how to broach the subject of killing a man with Jessie, while she was only concerned about getting back to the motel. It had been a long night and she just wanted to crawl into the bed, pull the covers over herself and fall into the peaceful oblivion of sleep.

When they arrived at the motel, Jessie hurried into the bathroom. She figured the guys probably assumed it was because she needed to go pee, which she did. But her major motivation was so she could wash up and go to sleep, hopefully without having to discuss what had just happened. She hadn't lied to Sam, she was fine. But that was what really scared her. Something deep inside her told her she should be more upset than she really was.

The boys were sitting on the couch speaking in hushed tones when she came out of the bathroom. She was almost positive they were discussing her, but she didn't want to find out. She swept over to the bed quickly, climbing under the covers and closed her eyes. Unfortunately, it took her some time to find a comfortable position to lay in.

"Jess," Sam called as he sat down on his side of the bed, laying his hand on her side. "Can we talk before you go to sleep?"

She sighed loudly in annoyance, although she'd tried not to. She knew he was only worried about her, but she wasn't really in the mood at the moment.

"Fine," she replied tersely.

"Could you turn around or sit up, please?" he pleaded gently.

She did as she was asked, moving herself into a sitting position. As soon as she did, he took her hand, gazing at her with concern. Doing the best she could, she assured him she was fine and there was nothing to worry about. Regardless of those assurances, he seemed unconvinced. But he allowed her to go to sleep since that was the one thing she could convince him was true, she was tired and she needed her rest.

The next morning she woke up and followed her usual routine with no interruptions. By the time she was finished in the bathroom she was ready for coffee. She glanced around, noticing Dean was at the table without coffee and Sam was missing, so she had to assume he was out getting coffee.

Despite her reluctance to deal with Dean, she sat at the kitchen table with him. That was where her laptop was sitting, and she was in the mood to do some research. After what had happened the night before, she wanted to catch the monster they were hunting quickly so they could get the hell out of town. She knew that eventually someone else would be sent her way. And she didn't want to be here when they were.

As she reached out for her laptop, Dean did the same, getting to it before she did.

"Sam says no research today," he said with a furtive grin, tucking the laptop under his arm.

"What? Why not?" she asked with irritation.

"I dunno. Ask him."

She glared at him angrily. "I'm sure you know exactly why, Dean. So why don't you tell me before I break your fingers for touching my laptop."

He stared her down for a moment, knowing his brother would be disappointed in him if he did what she asked. But he knew what she was like without coffee, and after all that had happened lately he wasn't sure he wanted to test her patience. He was about to give in when his brother walked in the room, a tray of coffees in his hand.

"Looks like I got here just in time," he said, placing the tray down in front of his wife.

She grabbed a coffee without hesitation, shooting Dean an irritated glance.

He smirked in return, passing her laptop to Sam, who immediately took it and placed it on the table by their bed.

"What's going on, Sam?" she asked, trying her best to keep her tone even.

He walked back over to her, kissing her on the top of the head affectionately. "Good morning to you, too," he said with a smile.

"Good morning," she replied with a genuine smile. "Now tell me what's going on."

"I was hoping to spend the day with you. You know, doing something other than working," he replied, sitting down beside her.

She gazed at him suspiciously. "This is about last night, isn't it? I told you I'm fine."

"I know what you said, but I'm not convinced," he replied matter-of-factly.

She wasn't in the mood to argue with him, although she was angry enough. The thought of spending a day with him won out over arguing with him about her state of mind. although she knew that was his alterior motive for spending the day with her. Regardless of the reason, she'd take the chance while she had it.

"Fine. Breakfast. Your treat," she said with a teasing smile.

He smiled, reaching his hand out to her. "Gladly."

She took his hand, allowing him to drag her from the motel room, but not before grabbing her purse and phone. No matter what he wanted, she wasn't going anywhere without her phone—or money.

As they walked down the street, she looked at him questioningly. "We're walking?"

He laughed. "Dean has the day off as well. I don't think he'd appreciate it if we took his car."

"We wouldn't have to walk if I had my car," she mumbled.

"Is walking really bothering you, or is it something else?"

She shook her head. "No."

He was really worried about her, but the more he expressed it, the more she seemed to become upset about it. It's not like he didn't have experience with this sort of thing. His brother had always dealt with his issues in pretty much the same way she did, and he didn't like to talk either. But he'd seen what could happen to her when something was bothering her and she didn't speak about it. He didn't want to see her break down.

He was quiet for the rest of the walk to the little restaurant he'd found while canvassing a few days earlier. They only served breakfast, and their menu was extensive. When he'd seen it he'd immediately thought of her. And today seemed like the day to take her there.

After they'd ordered, he tried his best to get her to open up about the night before. He figured that even if she became angry, she would restrain herself while in a public place. It wasn't his best plan, but he'd hoped for the best. And while he was correct, she didn't do anything to cause a scene. She became angrier the more he prodded. At one point he thought she was going to throw her food, or walk out, but she didn't do either of those things. Surprisingly—and frighteningly—she managed to keep herself together.

After they left the restaurant, Sam had decided to take her shopping. He needed a few things and he knew she did as well. And once again he hoped she would talk, but he didn't really prod this time. He really wanted to enjoy their rare day alone together, but he couldn't let it go completely. He swore he would get her to talk at some point.

Although she knew what Sam was up to, Jessie tried not to let it ruin her day. No matter how many times she told him she was fine, he didn't believe her. And she was fine, until shortly after lunch time when she felt that need again. The need for demon blood. It was also the time she realized she had been feeling something about the events from the night before. She'd been able to hide them from herself. But now she was beginning to lose control of her emotions, and she knew it was only going to get worse.

After lunch, Sam wanted to take her out to an afternoon movie, but she wasn't up for it. Instead, she talked him in to taking her back to their motel room. Her intention was just to get away from other people, just in case she lost control of herself. But Sam had wrongly assumed she'd had something else in mind. When he attempted to make a move on her, she pushed him away. Not because she didn't want to, but because she knew she couldn't. Not while her mind was in such turmoil.

"Jessie, will you please talk to me," he pleaded anxiously, slumping onto the couch.

She sat down on the couch beside Sam, took his hand in hers and gazed into his concerned eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I really am. I don't mean to make you worry like this."

"Then tell me how you're feeling."

She tried her best not to crack a smile, but it was just too incredulous. He was pushing her so hard just to talk about her feelings, which seemed as un-Winchester as you could get. However, her smile only lasted a moment. She knew she needed to talk to him for his sake as well as hers.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Sam. I don't even really know what I'm feeling."

"I think you do know what you're feeling. You just don't want to admit it to yourself."

He was right about one thing, she didn't want to admit what she was feeling. She'd been able to push it all to the back of her mind, but that was becoming all but impossible now. She was afraid to let it go, lose control. Because she knew why. And she knew they wouldn't understand if they found out. She also knew she could only use the hormone reason so many times before

it would just seem like an excuse.

"You have to promise me one thing first," she said.

He raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "What's that?"

"Swear to me this is the last time we speak about this."

He nodded his head, albeit reluctantly. He wasn't sure he wanted to agree to something so important in advance. But he could tell by the look on her face and the tone of her voice she needed his promise.

She sighed, attempting to keep her eyes fixed on him, although she was having difficulty.

"I lied, Sam. It does bother me that I killed that man," she began to explain, attempting to keep her voice even. "But I did what I had to do."

He waited for her to say more, but she became silent, as if waiting for him to prod. However, he didn't want to. He was afraid to ask for more. Afraid for her to be honest. He didn't like what he was already seeing. He couldn't imagine how much worse it could be. But he had to try. No matter what happened, he knew he had to try.

"It doesn't sound like it's bothering you, Jess," he said, watching the expression on her face change from mild curiosity to something close to anger. "You sound cold. Unfeeling. Detatched. Definitely not yourself."

She released his hand in shock and anger. His words had cut her deeply—because they were true. Although she knew she had to kill the man to protect herself and her child, she felt little more than a slight bit of guilt. That wasn't her. Not really. She knew how she should feel—devastated. But somehow those feelings were out of her reach. She wasn't even sure how to get in touch with them at the moment, or if she really wanted to. And worst of all, she wasn't sure what would happen if she did.

"I don't think I can do this," she said with panic in her voice, attempting to stand up from the couch, but he'd grabbed her by the wrist, not allowing her to.

"Jessie, please sit down," he pleaded gently, although holding on to her wrist firmly.

She was still for a few moments, unsure what she wanted to do. But eventually she sat back on the couch beside him, taking his hands into hers, her eyes fixed on them.

"You do know that whatever you say I won't judge you," he said supportively.

"I'm not really afraid of that, Sam," she said as she raised her eyes to meet his. "I'm afraid of what I'll think about myself."

He gazed at her sadly. "I can't tell you how you should feel about yourself, but you had little choice."

She averted her gaze, returning her eyes to his only a few moments later. "Would you have done the same thing?"

"To protect you and our son? Without hesitation," he replied.

His candor made her feel a tiny bit better about herself, but only a tiny bit. There was still the secret she was keeping. And that wouldn't let her off the hook so easily.

She swallowed hard as she began to allow herself to think about that moment and how she really felt about it. As her hands began to shake, Sam grasped them firmly in support. And as the tears began to fall, he pulled her into an embrace.

"It hurts, Sam. It really hurts," she said between sobs, burying her head deeper into his chest. "Why does it have to hurt so much? Why do these things keep happening to me?"

He felt a twinge of guilt that he had to push out of his mind for her sake. He had to remember this moment was about her. He could deal with his own issues later.

"It'll be okay, Jess," he assured her calmly while stroking her hair lightly.

She sobbed for a long time, eventually falling asleep in Sam's arms. When he was finally sure she was asleep, he was able to remove himself from the couch, fetching a blanket to cover her while she slept.

He wasn't sure what to do with himself while she was sleeping. He didn't want to think about things either. Helping her with her feelings was his way of avoiding his own inner turmoil. But now that she was sleeping, he had time to think. And regardless of what he wanted, he couldn't stop.

He felt guilt, an inordinate amount of it. And as time passed it seemed that there was more and more things for him to feel guilty about. Of course the newest item of guilt was about the hunter Jessie killed. He should've been the one to do it. He should've saved her from ever feeling that pain. He'd experienced it before. He could've done so again. If only he hadn't let her search that warehouse alone. It seemed to him that he'd failed her time and time again. And maybe she'd been right all along. They should've went their separate ways. Everything she'd suffered. Everything she'd been through since they'd met was his fault. And all he wanted to do was make it right again. But he didn't even know how to do that. That was the pain he carried. His guilt.

Jessie awakened on the couch two hours later to a smiling face not far from hers. Sam was sitting on the floor beside the couch, his head lying on the edge of the couch near her belly, which is where his hand was. She returned his smile, knowing it wasn't just for her. The baby was kicking up a storm at the moment.

"Did you have a good sleep?" he asked with a bright smile.

"Yeah," she mumbled groggily. "I guess I was tired."

"I ordered some chinese food, if you're hungry," he said. "It should be here any minute."

"Why did you wait so long to wake me?" she asked with curiosity.

He smiled happily. "I was going to. But then I laid my hand on your tummy and the baby was moving around. I forgot about everything else."

She hadn't forgotten about their talk before she fell asleep. But at the moment it seemed so unimportant. It was nice to see Sam smile as happily as he was now, since he hadn't had much of a reason to lately. And she didn't want to ruin it at the moment. But she couldn't let one thing go.

"Did you seriously say 'tummy'?" she asked with a teasing giggle.

He grinned unapologetically. "Sure did. I think I should get used to using words like that. Don't you?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I suppose so."

He smiled widely as he stood up, reaching out his hand to help her into a sitting position, just in time for a knock at the door. He ran quickly to answer it, returning with two large paper bags full of food, which he placed on the kitchen table.

"There's enough food to feed us _and_ Dean _and_ probably a few more people," she remarked as she headed to the fridge to grab a cold drink.

"You are eating for two," he teased as he removed the containers of food from the bags and placed them on the table.

She placed a soda down at her spot at the table and a beer down in Sam's before slapping him playfully on his arm.

"You still eat more than I do," she said with a grin. "What's your excuse?"

He laughed. "I'm a big guy. It's like I'm eating for two."

She laughed boisterously before filling her plate with food.

She felt much better now that she'd napped, and eating seemed to have helped as well. She was happy to be enjoying her remaining alone time with Sam, determined to throw everything else out of her mind for the meantime. She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to have him to herself, but she didn't want to ruin it.

A short time later, the couple were sitting on the couch together watching a movie when Jessie's phone began to ring. She ignored it the first and second time, but at Sam's urging she answered it on the third call. It was Bobby.

She tried her best to remain calm, but Bobby seemed determined to push her buttons. He'd heard about the shooting and he was concerned, he wanted to talk about it. But it was the last thing she wanted to discuss, now or at all. Not just because she didn't want to discuss it, but she was already feeling shaky, she needed demon blood. So the more he pushed her, the angrier she became, until she finally lost her cool, throwing her phone at the wall across the room where it shattered into a few pieces.

It took a moment before she realized what she'd done. By then, Sam was staring at her in utter shock. She knew why she'd lost her temper, but she wasn't sure what to tell him.

She was about to apologize when Sam's phone began to ring. She knew who it would be and so did Sam. So instead of trying to convince him not to answer it, she walked across the room to retrieve pieces of her phone, looking for the internal and external memory cards. The rest of it would be useless now.

"I'm sorry, Sam," she said to him after he'd hung up his phone. "I don't know where the hell that came from."

He sighed. "Bobby's upset, Jess. And honestly, I'm a little freaked out. I've never seen you this angry before."

She frowned as she noticed the disappointment in his voice. "I'll call Bobby in the morning and apologize."

"And that's it? You're done discussing this?"

She closed her eyes and emitted a loud sigh, trying to calm herself. When she opened her eyes he was gazing at her with impatience. "We can talk about this, but not right now. I need to go for a walk."

"Alone?"

She rolled her eyes. "Dammit, Sam. I can look after myself." She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. "Just give me fifteen minutes, please? I swear to God, or whatever, that I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

He was angry, upset and perhaps a little frightened, but he nodded his head in agreement, although he knew he shouldn't allow her to go out alone. Where one hunter had been, another was sure to follow. But he had to hope she could look after herself. He couldn't always be with her, and at the moment she needed a few minutes alone. He had to trust she'd be fine.

She retrieved her gun from the table, tucking it into her waistband before rushing out of the motel room. As soon as she was sure she was far enough away she began yelling Crowley's name with impatience.

**A/N: Sorry, i know I always promise to update more often, but I've had a hell of a time with writer's block lately. Some days I can write and write and others I'm lucky if I can complete a sentence before frustration sets in. But hopefully the wait was worth it. I've already begun writing the next chapter so I'm hoping it won't take as long to finish it as this one did.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Jessie's head was much clearer by the time she returned to the motel. Before she decided to go inside, she noticed the Impala was parked nearby. She hadn't expected Dean to be back so soon, but she had to imagine that Sam had called him. Now she knew she was in trouble. She may have been able to fool Sam, but fooling both of them was going to be more difficult. She was beginning to think staying with the Winchesters during her pregnancy was going to be even more difficult than she had originally imagined.

She stopped at the door to listen as soon as she heard raised voices. Normally she wouldn't eavesdrop, but after all the things she'd done lately, this didn't seem so bad.

"Are you crazy, Sam?!" she heard Dean yell. "You let her go off alone after what happened last night?"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Tie her down or something! I don't know!"

"Why do you care so much, Dean? She's _my_ responsibility"

"Yeah, and you're _my_ responsibility, Sam. Which makes her mine as well."

She sighed, pulling herself away from the door. She couldn't allow them to continue arguing about her, so she quickly entered the motel room to interrupt them before they had a chance to say anything else to each other.

"I told you I'd be back in fifteen," she said as she closed the door behind her.

Both men gazed at her with surprise.

"You can tell time. You deserve a prize," Dean said with sarcasm.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes, instead deciding just to bite the bullet. She swallowed hard, hoping they wouldn't suspect anything.

"I'm sorry for taking off but I needed to cool down."

"We get that," he replied. "But what we don't get is what got you so pissed off in the first place."

She knew why, but she couldn't exactly tell them the whole truth. She had to tell them the most likely and believable story and hope they believed it. At least it would be the truth, if only part of it.

"Dean, you weren't here so I don't know why I'm gonna explain myself to you," she replied.

"But you are going to explain yourself?"

She shot Sam an apologetic glance before turning her attention back to his brother.

"I know you've been around the block a few more times than I have, Dean, so I can't expect you to understand."

"So this was all about last night?"

She snorted in disbelief. "I killed someone last night, Dean. A hunter. In cold blood."

"You were saving your life," he interrupted.

"That may be, but I'm not exactly dealing with it very well," she replied, glancing away for a moment. "And do you know what makes it worse?"

He asked, "what?" when she didn't respond right away. But she couldn't. She was fighting back a wave of emotions she didn't want to deal with. She wanted a beer, or ten. That was how she'd always dealt with things before. And now that she wasn't feeling the craving for demon blood, satisfying it only minutes before, she felt everything she was supposed to have been feeling and she knew it meant there were going to be tears, whether she liked it or not.

"What makes it worse is that I'll probably have to do it again," she finally said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Hunters don't give up, they don't quit, Dean. You know that better than anyone."

"We just have to convince them they're wrong."

"Right. That'll happen," she replied with sarcasm. "Hell, why not? Why not play devil's advocate? Let's say you're right and they quit hunting me. What's gonna stop the demons? Are they just gonna give up? And the angels? Do you think they're just gonna say, oh sure your son is powerful but we're sure you'll be able to handle it."

"Jessie—"

"No, Sam, I'm not done," she replied, nearly choking on tears. "This is all on top of everything else. I mean, being pregnant isn't exactly a picnic. My feet hurt. I have to pee all the time. It's hard to get comfortable sometimes. And the kicker?" she said, stopping for a moment to wipe tears from her face. "I'm emotional, but I don't have anyone to share my feelings with."

"Jess—"

"No!" she yelled at Sam, cutting him off again. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare say I can tell you how I'm feeling, because I can't. I can't just spew all my feelings out to someone, that's just not me. Even if that's how I feel, I can't do it. Especially with the two of you. Especially like this. You have no idea."

As soon as she was finished speaking, her hands went to her face, covering it in shame. She'd opened up and said almost everything she was feeling—leaving out the part about being a terrible mother—and now she felt raw and exposed. She just wanted to hide herself from the world.

Only moments later she felt a pair of arms wrap around her in an embrace. She didn't have to open her eyes to know that it wasn't Sam. She could tell by the not quite so familiar smell that it was Dean. She almost pulled away to seek out her husband's arms, but at that moment she felt comforted. It wasn't long before her sobbing subsided.

"I'm sorry, Jessie," Dean said gently as he loosened his grip on her. "I might not like talking feelings, but I don't want you to feel like you have to keep everything to yourself. If you need to talk..."

She pulled away slightly, smiling at him. "Thanks, Dean. It really means a lot to me—especially since I know you're squirming inside."

"Yeah, well, I mean it," he said with conviction. "No more holding it in until you explode. It can't be any good for the baby."

She gazed at him with a surprised look for a moment before smiling appreciatively.

"And now that things are under control, I guess I'll go and enjoy the rest of my night," he remarked, patting her arm supportively before sweeping from the room quickly.

She turned to look at Sam with a strange smile. "Same old, Dean."

"Yeah," he replied hesitantly.

"Are we okay, Sam?"

He approached her slowly, placing one hand around her waist, gazing deeply into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Jessie. I guess I've been pretty thoughtless lately."

"Sam—"

He placed his finger on her lips to hush her. "It's my turn to interrupt you," he said as he removed his finger from her lips. "I guess I sometimes forget that you're pregnant and it might be affecting you. I mean, you're strong. You walk, run and fight just like you always have, so, sometimes I don't realize you might be hurting."

"I do, Sam. I'm just not one to complain."

"I get that, Jess. But sometimes you need to tell me what's going on. Even if you don't want to."

"I can't promise you that. But I can promise to try."

He smiled and nodded, brushing hair from her face. "Now that it's settled, let's say we make the most of our evening alone."

She smiled. "I couldn't think of anything I'd like to do more."

It was around 2 a.m. when Jessie woke up. She thought at first it was because she needed to use the bathroom, but then she realized she was wide awake. She wasn't sure if it was because she'd napped earlier or another reason, but she didn't think she'd be going back to sleep any time soon.

While she was in the bathroom she had an epiphany. Something she hadn't thought to check before. Something she should've thought of, but she'd been too preoccupied with other things to notice. Upon leaving the bathroom, she headed to the kitchen table, took out her laptop and began some research.

It was only an hour later when Dean returned to the motel room. He looked like hell, but Jessie decided not to say anything. She really wanted to tease him, but after how nice he'd been earlier she gave him a pass, this one time. He didn't say much to her, he just wanted to go to bed, which is probably where he needed to be. He looked exhausted.

The sun was rising when Sam finally awakened. He rolled over to find the bed empty, which caused a momentary panic, until he rolled back over—with his eyes open this time—and saw Jessie sitting at the kitchen table.

"Good morning, sleepy head," she said with a bright smile as he approached her.

"Good morning to you, too," he said with a smile before leaning down to kiss her lightly. "What's all this?"

"I had a breakthrough in the case."

"Really? When?"

"While you were sleeping."

He gazed at her with concern. "How long have you been awake?"

She knew exactly how he was going to react, so for a moment she thought about lying to him. But besides feeling guilty, Dean knew she'd been up early. She didn't want to get caught lying to him for a stupid reason.

"About 2 a.m.," she replied nonchalantly.

His look of concern grew. "Maybe you should go back to bed."

She patted the chair beside her, indicating she wanted him to sit down. Once he did, she took his hand, placing it on her belly. "Even if I wanted to, this little guy has other ideas right now."

He smiled happily as he felt the baby kick his hand.

"I'll be fine, Sam. I'm wide awake," she assured him. "What I really need is coffee and some breakfast."

"I can do that," he said, immediately standing up and kissing her on the top of the head. "As soon as I get changed."

She was too wrapped up in her research to realize how quickly he had got himself ready to go out until he opened the door to leave. She barely had enough time to hollar at him to get Dean an extra coffee before he was gone. She figured the way he had looked when he had got back to the motel, he'd need it.

By the time Sam made it back with coffee and food, Dean was awake. He stumbled out of bed without a word to anyone, grabbed a coffee, drinking it with only one eye open.

"Rough night last night?" Sam asked his brother.

"Most fun I've had in a while," he replied with a grin.

"Well I hope you're ready to work now," Jessie said between sips of coffee. "I finally found something for us to do."

"A couple coffees and I'll be right as rain," he replied teasingly.

She rolled her eyes. "Just hurry up and wake up so we can get going."

"Go where?"

"To find an apartment," she replied tersely.

"What?!" the boys said in unison.

"I'll explain after I have breakfast," she grinned teasingly.

The men sat quietly waiting for her to explain once they'd all finished eating. She was busy on her laptop and continued to hush them while she was busy. The moment her gaze shifted from the screen and her hand moved from her mouse, both of them began asking her what was going on.

"Okay, long story short. I had an epiphany early this morning so I went back and did some research on the victims of this creature and I finally came up with a common denominator. They're all Roman Catholic."

The two men gazed at each other with confused looks.

"Oh my god! Are you two really that thick? After all this research?" she asked, sighing with exasperation. "The Caranioang Aswangs live as Roman Catholics, going to church every Sunday. It's our best bet on catching it."

"No. I got that," Sam said. "But what did you mean about finding an apartment?"

"To get close to this monster we're gonna have to start going to church and see if we can figure out who it is, since these things live as humans by day," she began to explain. "The best way to draw this thing to us is to have our own place to live, not living out of a motel."

"Draw this thing to us?" Sam said anxiously. "You mean use yourself as bait."

"We're not going through this again, Sam," she stated adamantly. "It's not like I'll be doing this alone, I'll have you two."

"She's got a point, Sammy."

He glared angrily at his brother for agreeing, although he knew they were both right. He knew all along she'd want to use herself as bait, but he didn't have to like it.

She gazed at him apologetically before continuing.

"Anyway, that's the reason the attacks have taken place all over town. It's not hunting close to its home. It's choosing its victims from the church it attends."

"And you're sure all the victims were from the same church? Even the dead ones?" Dean asked.

She nodded.

"How did you manage to track that info down?"

"Because I'm that good," she replied with a egomaniacal grin.

He rolled his eyes slightly. "Well, let's say we get the hell outta here," he said eagerly.

She smiled as she grabbed a stack of papers and headed out the door without so much as a backwards glance.

It was the third apartment they visited that Jessie was finally satisfied with. It was furnished, it was clean and the most important of all, it had two bedrooms. She needed their charade to look as real as possible, so Dean needed his own room.

The Winchesters seemed satisfied with the apartment as well, but she could sense something like apprehension. She wasn't sure if they were hesitant about the apartment or something else. But if she had to bet, she would say it was something else.

The three of them ended up spending the entire day settling in to their new place. They wanted it to look like it was lived in, like it was a permanent residence, not just somewhere to sleep. And by the end of the day they decided to turn in early so they could get an early start the next day.

Since it was only Saturday, there wasn't much they could do about the church, but Dean went to scope it out anyway, while Jessie and Sam went shopping—again. This time, she went shopping for some maternity clothes that would actually accentuate her pregnant belly. It was the last thing in the world she wanted to do, but she wanted to be noticed. In fact, she would—almost—rather die than get caught wearing some cutsie maternity outfit. But it was necessary.

When they got back to the apartment, Dean was in the kitchen busily putting groceries away in the fridge.

He turned as they entered the room with a huge grin on his face.

"You wanted it to look like we live here, right?"

She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I hope you aren't expecting me to do all the cooking?"

"Uh, no," he replied hesitantly.

She kept a serious look for a few more moments before chuckling in amusement. "You're so easy."

"Does this mean you're gonna do all the cooking?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh my god, Dean! Don't you know when to quit while you're ahead?" his brother said, before his wife had a chance to respond.

She chuckled. "It's okay, Sam. I'll cook. I'll just let him do all the errand running. Coffee. Food. Whatever else I might need."

"Hmmm, I think I got off easy," he replied with a grin.

She chuckled, leaning close to Sam and whispering, "When I send him out for ice cream at 2 a.m he won't think he got off so easily."

He chuckled shooting his brother a teasing glance.

"What? What did she say?"

"You should've quit while you were ahead, Dean," he said with a grin.

The couple laughed as they left the kitchen, leaving Dean confused and worried.

The two Winchesters were up early the next morning allowing Jessie to sleep in. Even deciding to cook breakfast for her. It was mainly Dean's idea, but he allowed Sam to take the credit after he'd seen the mood she was in, assuming it would make her happier that way. She wasn't so much irritable as she was annoyed by having to wear cutsie maternity clothes. And he couldn't blame her. He thought she looked kind of ridiculous. Of course he'd never say that to her face. Not if he wanted to live.

After breakfast, Jessie wanted to go through what they needed to be on the lookout for during the church service.

"I heard you the first hundred times, Jessie," Dean replied abesentmindedly while he was fixing his tie.

"Really, Dean?" she asked, adjusting her outfit with irritation. "Then explain it to me."

He sighed loudly. "We have to watch out for anyone who walks out during the transubstantiation."

"And what is the transubstantiation, Dean?"

He shot his brother a quizzical look, but he only shrugged in response.

"Dammit, Dean," she said with a disappointed sigh. "How the hell are we going to find this thing if you don't pay attention?"

"I was gonna ask Sam what it was."

She rolled her eyes. "The transubstantiation is the part of the service when the priest gives out the little wafer thing," she said, deciding to explain it in terms he would understand.

"I knew that," he replied nonchalantly. "I just wanted to see if you knew."

She shook her head in irritation and disbelief as she grabbed her purse from the kitchen table, heading out of the apartment without another word.

"Why do you do that?" Sam asked his brother with annoyance.

"What're you talking about?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"Come on, Dean. You knew what the hell transubstantiation is. Why do you have to annoy her like that?"

"I don't know," he replied with a grin. "It's just fun."

He sighed. "Dean, normally I wouldn't care what goes on between the two of you. But with her emotions being so up and down and her huge blow up the other day, not to mention this case weighing on her so heavily. Do you think you could give it a rest?"

"I'm sorry, Sam," he replied apologetically.

He was then silent for a few, pondering how to say what he was thinking. Eventually just coming right out and saying it.

"But Sam, she's not a delicate flower ya know. If she finds out I'm taking it easy on her because of her, uh, condition, she's gonna get pissed."

"I know but..." he replied, trailing off.

He gazed at his brother with concern. "What is it?"

He swallowed hard. "Don't you think her emotions have been all over the place lately?"

"Isn't that normal for a pregnant woman?"

"Yeah, but, I dunno, Dean. She just seems a little different to me."

He patted his brother on the shoulder supportively.

"With everything going on in her life I'm sure it's just overwhelming her."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Let's go then," he said, slapping his brother's shoulder. "Before she kicks our asses for taking so long to follow her."

He nodded, following behind his brother quickly.

Jessie was waiting in the back seat of the car when the boys finally made it outside. She wasn't angry, which relieved—and surprised—them. In fact, if they could've read her mind, they would've known she was content just sitting in the car, hiding from everyone. She was more than a little irritated by wearing the clothes she had on. And as much as she tried to tell herself it was for the job, it wasn't really helping. She just hated wearing the clothes that much.

Jessie became nervous the moment they arrived at the church. It was a strange irrational feeling that she'd never felt before and she wasn't sure why. It was almost like she could feel the evil.

The three of them had arrived early enough, congregating near the front entrance, so they could watch for other pregnant women—if there were any. They wanted to know who they were so they could hopefully talk to them after the service. It wasn't a very big church, so there weren't really a lot of people to begin with. They weren't surprised when there were only two pregnant women that they noticed. One of them looking like she could give birth at any moment. The other was probably not as far along as Jessie was.

The three of them sat in the back of the church so they could have a good view of everyone. That seemed to earn them some attention, since some people would occasionally turn to glance at them quickly before turning back to the sermon. They figured it was because they were new to the church. With such a small church, they had to imagine that many of the people knew each other, at least in passing.

Once it was time for the transubstantiation, the three of them kept a keen eye on the crowd. And since they were sitting near the only exit out of the church, they would see whomever chose to leave at that moment. But in a twist they hadn't seen coming, more than one person walked out. In fact, three of them did. One man, which meant it probably wasn't him since the monster they assumed they were hunting usually lived as a woman, and two women. And by what they had observed, both women seemed to be there alone. That meant two possible suspects.

"What're we gonna do now?" Jessie heard Dean ask Sam quietly.

She hushed them before Sam could answer. "I have a plan."

The brothers passed each other a curious look, but stayed silent.

When the service was over, Jessie made sure they were the first ones out the door. They didn't go very far though, congregating once again near the front. She didn't tell them her plan, but she hoped they had worked together long enough now that they would be able to follow her without a heads up.

When they first pregnant couple came outside, Jessie introduced herself—using an alias that had been pre-planned—as new to town and began asking questions, such as, the name of a good OB/GYN and various other pregnancy related questions. What she'd been fishing for was the woman's full name, which she managed to get. And after a few pleasantries, the couple departed for their vehicle.

"Dean, were you watching for the other couple while I was busy talking?" she asked.

"Do you think this is the first case I've been on?" he replied sarcastically.

She shot him a stern glare. "Can you cut that shit out for now?" she asked harshly, yet quietly. "We're on a job."

"They're still in there. And so are the two women that walked out during the transubstantiation," he replied.

She nodded in acknowledgement.

They didn't have to wait long for the other couple to appear. But when they did they seemed to be in a hurry. As she tried to talk to them they apologized for being in a hurry. They were rushing to the hospital because the woman's water had broke. She wished them luck as they were leaving, turning back to the boys, speaking quietly.

"That only leaves two of us now."

Sam shot his brother an anxious look. His brother returning it with a supportive one.

It was only moments later when the priest and the two ladies—who'd walked out during the transubstantiation—appeared. She knew this was her chance to get their attention, while making acquaintance with the priest.

"That was an inspiring sermon," she said to the priest as he approached.

"Thank you," he said with a kind smile, reaching out his hand in greeting. "You must be new to the neighbourhood."

She shook his hand, watching as the boys did the same. "Yes. We just moved to town a few days ago."

"I'm Father Winslow," he replied, introducing himself. "And these are two of the churches most devout followers, Lily Anderson and Margaret Chance."

She nodded to each of them in acknowledgment. "I'm Jessie. And this is my husband, Sam and his brother Dean."

He nodded to each of the brothers. "It's nice to meet the three of you. Will you be here again next week?" he asked.

"Absolutely. We wouldn't miss it," she replied convincingly.

"I thank you for coming and hope to see you next week," he said with a friendly smile.

After saying goodbye, the trio headed back into the Impala.

"Well that was easy," she said to the brothers once she'd closed her door.

"A little too easy perhaps," Sam replied.

"Huh?"

"Don't you think it was strange that the priest gave out the women's names?"

She chuckled. "Not if they're very involved in the church. I betcha if we check into the goings on at the church, that their names will be mentioned somewhere, perhaps several times."

"You think so?"

"I know so, Sam," she replied with a knowing grin. "You seem to forget I used to go to church every Sunday when I lived with my grandparents. Unfortunately I know how they—operate."

"All I have to say is, let's hope we find and gank this monster before next Sunday," Dean said as he started the car and began driving.

"Why is that?" she asked curiously.

"Because. If I have to sit through another long, boring sermon like that again I'm gonna shoot myself."

She chuckled. It was pretty much how she felt about going to church as well. And for several reasons, she really wanted to gank the monster before the week was out. However, none of them involved going to church.

Once they made it back to their apartment, Jessie hopped on her laptop and began researching.

The first thing she researched was the pregnant woman, getting all the information she could, especially her home address. Once she had that, she sent Dean and Sam to check the place out. She would call them when she had more.

The next thing she checked into was anything involving the church. And just as she'd thought, the two women she'd met were mentioned in their newsletters and bulletins several times. However, both of them were only recent members to the church. One of them was only mentioned as far back as two months before, while the other one went back about six months. She wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but it definitely seemed to prove that both of them had recently moved to the area. Didn't make figuring out who the monster was any easier.

She texted the brothers, sending them the addresses of both women so they could check them out. It would keep them busy long enough for her to make a quick trip.

She was sitting in the back booth of a small diner just around the corner from the apartment when she felt a familiar shiver go up her spine. Her gut reaction was always the same, her hand curling tighter around the weapon in her pocket, although she knew it would be useless.

"Hello, my dear," Crowley greeted her with a furtive smile as he sat at the table across from her. "Cute outfit."

"Can we just cut through the bullshit and you give me what I need already?" she asked with irritation.

He grinned. "And here I thought you enjoyed my company."

She held her tongue, knowing he was just trying to get a reaction from her. She couldn't afford to anger him, not when she needed that blood. She'd felt herself on edge for a short time now and she couldn't let that happen while in the midst of the case. She felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"You're really starting to feel the need for it now, aren't you?" he asked with a devious grin.

"Is that what you're plan has been about all along?" she asked. "Screw me up to get back at Sam."

He laughed with amusement. "Do you really think that's what I'm up to? Give me a little credit for being much more complex than that. Besides, if you thought that was all I was up to, would you really have drank it to begin with?"

She narrowed her eyes. "No."

"Good. That little side effect is only the cherry on top," he said with a chuckle.

"You sonofabitch," she replied harshly.

"You knew what you were getting yourself in to."

"The hell I did," she replied angrily. "You never told me I'd become addicted to it."

"Have you ever spoken to Sam about his time on the sauce?" he asked with a wide grin.

"No. Why would I have? All I know is what Bobby's told me."

"If you had—then maybe you wouldn't have been so eager to consume it."

She gazed at him in horror. "I'm not gonna turn into some freak, am I?"

He chuckled. "Not exactly."

"Care to elaborate?"

He rolled his eyes very slightly. "This conversation has become very tiresome."

"Dammit Crowley!" she said, slamming her fist in the table in anger. "Explain it to me or I'm done with you!"

He narrowed his eyes, speaking in a quiet, ominous voice. "You really should learn your place, young lady. Don't you forget who you're dealing with."

She tried to respond, but she found herself suddenly unable to speak. She also found herself suddenly unable to move as she tried to reach for the salt on the table.

"And now that I've reminded you," he said, waving his hand lazily, breaking his control over her, "I can give you what you've come for."

He placed a small flask on the table in front of her. And although she was able to move, she found herself only staring at it.

"No. I'm done," she replied adamantly. "If you're not gonna explain these 'side effects' to me, then I'm done."

He snorted derisively. "You make it seem like you're doing me some kind of favor."

"Aren't I? For some reason, that you won't explain to me, you have an interest in the safety of my child."

He narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "You can take my help or not, Jessie. If you think you can protect yourself from Meg without my help, be my guest."

She wanted to continue being snarky, telling him off, but the truth was he had helped her in the past. She didn't feel like she owed him or anything, since she knew he had only done it to serve his own purpose, but she did need the help. Or at least she thought she did.

"I want to take it," she said with an air of desperation in her voice. "But I want to know about these side effects first."

He shook his head slightly in disbelief. "It's a little late for that, isn't it?"

"No," she replied without hesitation.

He gazed at her shrewdly for a moment. "You're not consumming enough blood to do much."

"Then why should I bother?"

He sighed in annoyance. "Didn't we discuss this before? Your child needs it to become stronger. And, the more often you drink, the sooner you will become immune to demonic powers."

"And how long will that take? You just used them on me, so how do I know that it's gonna work."

"It took some effort this time, so I'm betting that any average demon wouldn't be able to do anything to you. Meg on the other hand, probably won't have any issues."

"In other words, you want me to drink more, don't you?"

"It couldn't hurt."

"Really?"

"If you keep your emotions in check, everything will be fine."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I already told you. At the moment you're not consumming enough for you to be able to do anything—unnatural. But if you increase it, the chances become more likely."

"Why do you have to be so damn cryptic?" she asked angrily.

"Uh, demon, remember?" he replied sarcastically. "Besides, I doubt you'd be capable of very much. It's not like you've been drinking it for long."

"You doubt? That doesn't reassure me."

"Like I said, keep yourself in check and nothing will happen accidentally."

She didn't find his assurances very reassuring at all, especially after her burst of anger the other day. She wasn't even sure what she could possibly be capable of if she did lose control. She was suddenly having some very serious reservations about all of it. But as she glanced down in thought, she glimpsed her protruding stomach, causing her to rub it lovingly. Her thoughts began turning towards her child again, not to herself. It was the baby she was concerned about. And immunity from demon powers could almost assure his safety, at least until he was born.

When she glanced back across the table, Crowley was gone. The flask was also gone, replaced by a much larger thermos. The realization that he'd already known how their conversation was going to go sent a shiver down her spine. Regardless, she dug into her pants pocket for some cash for her bill, which she threw haphazardly on the table, grabbed the thermos and left without a second thought. She knew if she put any more thought into the blood she wouldn't be able to continue taking it. And now wasn't the time to be distracted. She needed to get back to the apartment before the boys did.

**A/N: I hope the wait between chapters wasn't too long this time. I've been trying to write a little more often but some days I'm just too busy or the words just won't come. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Jessie was sitting at the kitchen table completely engrossed with research on her laptop when the Winchester brothers walked into the apartment. In fact she was so engrossed, she didn't even notice they were back until she heard the door slam lightly.

"What took you so long?" she asked Sam after he kissed her in greeting.

"We had to wait until they got home to make sure we had the right place," he said, sitting in the chair next to her.

"I'm hungry," Dean said, flopping onto the chair beside his brother. "When's dinner?"

Sam shot his brother a dirty look, but Jessie didn't react.

"Just gimme a couple of minutes and I'll start cooking," she replied quickly, turning her attention back to her laptop.

Once she had turned her attention away from him, Dean shot his brother a mirthless grin. Sam rolled his eyes in response.

After dinner, the Winchester brothers once again left Jessie home alone. Now that it was almost dark, each of them would sit outside one of the two ladies' houses to keep an eye on them. She had wanted to go with them, but they convinced her to stay home. None of them knew if they would be able to sense, or smell, a pregnant woman nearby, so they figured it would be safer for her to stay at the apartment. And while she understood, she didn't like it at all.

The next few days were pretty much the same as the previous ones. Jessie cooked all the meals. And in the evening, the boys went out to watch the suspects' houses, leaving her alone. She used that time to visit Crowley at an arranged spot to get more demon blood from him. And each time he said less and less to her, until he barely even acknowledged her presence, besides handing over the blood to her. She wasn't sure whether to be happy, or concerned. Ultimately, she decided not to even think about it. She had too many other things to worry about at the moment.

"We're not getting anywhere here," Dean said as he prepared to go out for the evening. "I think we're on the wrong track."

"I don't think we are, Dean," Jessie replied. "I've looked over all the deaths and body thefts and they seem to happen every couple of weeks or so. Maybe they don't feed very often."

"You mean we might have to do this for a couple of weeks?" he said with a slight whine.

She sighed. "Why don't you go out tonight, Dean? Sam and I can take care of it."

"Jessie," Sam said anxiously. "I thought we discussed why that was a bad idea."

"Yeah, well I think Dean needs a night off. And you probably do too."

"What? Now you think you're gonna go out there alone?" he asked even more anxiously.

"I never said anything like that Sam."

"Jessie, I don't need a night off," Dean interrupted. "And Sammy, you know she can take care of herself. She's probably sick of being cooped up in this place."

Sam shot his brother an angry look, while Jessie looked at him in surprised.

"I am sick of it. Can I at least go out with one of you tonight?" she begged. "I'm going stir crazy here."

The brothers looked at each other, each expressing how they felt with a single look. Dean knew his brother didn't want her to leave the apartment, but he also knew she wouldn't stay put for long. She needed to feel useful. He would feel exactly the same way if he was in her position.

"She can come with me," Dean said to his brother. "This way you two won't be distracted by each other, and she won't be alone. Problem solved."

"Sounds good to me," she said with a shrug.

Sam shook his head in disappointment but didn't respond. He wasn't happy with his brother's idea, but he wasn't upset enough to start an argument about it. He knew his brother would do everything in his power to protect her. That had to be good enough for him. He knew he wouldn't win that fight.

Jessie was finally happy to get out of the apartment. Besides visiting with Crowley, she hadn't really left the apartment since the three of them had went to church. She was also happy to get a chance to ride shotgun in the Impala, which she only normally had the chance to do when Sam was driving. Who at the moment, was in a rental car on his way to Lily's house, while they were on their way to scope out Margaret's house.

"Thanks for taking me along tonight, Dean," she said once they'd arrived at their destination. "I'm sick of being cooped up in that apartment."

"That's why I suggested you come with me," he replied while retrieving binoculars from the car seat beside him. "I recognized that stir crazy look in your eyes."

"Are you sure there isn't something else?" she asked. "There must be a reason why you wanted me to come with you and not Sam?"

He glanced sideways at her in the dark. With the small amount of light from a street light shining on her face, he could tell she was being completely serious. She suspected something. But did he want to tell her what his motivation was? Or would he be able to get away with half of the truth.

"Besides the obvious you mean, the two of you getting distracted by each other?"

"Dean," she said in an irritated tone. "You know that me and Sam are always professional when on a job. So what is it really?"

He sighed. "Sam is worried about you. And I'm worried about him. I just thought it would be better if you were with me."

"Of course Sam is worried about me. That's nothing new."

"I'm just worried he's gonna get careless, that's all. He knows you're safe with me."

She thought there was more to it, something he wasn't telling her. But ultimately she decided not to push. She was out of the apartment and that was all that mattered for the moment.

As the case had been for the past few nights, this night was no different. Neither Dean or Jessie saw anything out of the ordinary at the woman's house. And after meeting up with Sam, they found out he didn't see anything out of the ordinary either. So they headed back to the apartment to sleep for most of the day.

The next couple of days were exactly the same as the last, except for the fact that the three hunters had become more and more frustrated with the case. It had gotten to the point where they barely even spoke to each other about it, unless it was about a new lead. And since there seemed to be none of those, they basically stopped talking about it at all.

When Sunday rolled around, the three hunters once again dressed themselves for church. This time it wasn't Jessie who was in a bad mood, it was the two brothers who had barely gotten two hours of sleep that night. Neither one of them wanted to go, figuring that once again it would be a waste of time. And at one point, Jessie got angry and told them both to stay there while she went alone. But that was all it took for the boys to get motivated.

They arrived at the church early, hoping to have some time to speak with some of the church goers. And while they didn't find out anything new, Jessie did notice the two women paid a lot of attention to her as well as the other pregnant woman they'd met last week. If that wasn't a good sign, she didn't know what was. She only wished she knew which one was the monster. It would make her life that much easier.

Once again, the same three people walked out during the transubstantiation. The two women they'd been watching and a man. And while the lore she managed to dig up said the creature usually lived as a woman, she was beginning to wonder if they ever lived as a man. She made a mental note to find out what she could about the man as well.

After the mass, the three of them hung around to speak with the priest. They nearly got roped in to volunteering for some fundraiser, but Jessie was happy. She'd found out some information on the man who walked out during the transubstantiation.

"What was that all about?" Dean asked the moment everyone was in the car. "We almost had to volunteer for some stupid thing."

"I had to find out some information on that man," she replied, hoping she didn't have to explain who she was talking about. "But now I know we don't have to worry about him."

"Why's that?"

"For one thing, he's been a part of the church since he was young."

"Then why does he always walk out?"

She chuckled. "He's allergic to gluten. Apparently there's gluten in those wafers."

"So that means we're back to square one," he stated with disappointment.

The ride back to the apartment was a quiet one. The boys were still slightly tired and cranky and Jessie was frustrated. She was beginning to think they were never going to find the monster they were looking for.

Once they were back at the apartment, the boys decided to catch up on their sleep, while Jessie was left alone to continue researching. It was the last thing she wanted to do, since all she'd done for the past few weeks is research. And every day it was the same thing, hitting a big brick wall. She hadn't felt this frustrated on a case in a very long time.

She was making herself a snack when her phone rang. She'd been hoping the call was from Bobby with a lead, instead, it was someone she hadn't expected to hear from.

"Mike," she answered in surprised. "What's up?"

"Look, I can't talk long Jess, but I need to tell you something," he replied ominously.

"What's going on?" she asked with concern.

"There was a woman that came into the bar last night looking for you," he began to explain. "I wasn't here last night, but one of the other staff told me. I didn't think anything of it until a few minutes ago when she stopped by again. Apparently she was looking for me this time."

"What?" she asked, her voice high pitched in panic.

"She wanted to know all about you. Where you lived. Who you know."

"What did she look like?"

"She was average height and weight. She had long, dark hair that was parted in the middle and was somewhat wavy."

"Meg," she cursed under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing, Mike. Are you still wearing that charm I gave you?"

"Hell, yeah. I'm not stupid enough to take it off."

"Okay, listen. I'm gonna send someone there to get you and take you somewhere safe for a little while."

"Jess, I have to work."

The panic inside her was beginning to reach its peak. She couldn't think straight. And adding in the frustration of the case, she was afraid she was going to lose it.

"Dammit, Mike!" she yelled. "You won't be going to work if you're dead, now will you?"

"Jess, isn't that a little harsh?"

"No! That woman looking for me is a demon. And not just any demon either. Trust me. If she knows we know each other than you could be in danger. And I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you, Mike."

"Okay," he replied hesitantly.

"Look, I'm gonna give you a code word. So when my friend comes to get you, he will know what it is. Don't you dare leave that bar with anyone else, or until he comes for you. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Be safe, Mike. Please. I can't lose you," she said close to tears.

"I will."

Once she'd hung up with Mike, she immediately called Bobby. She tried her best not to show the panic in her voice, but he noticed. He even made her promise to tell the boys once they were awake, or he would. Not that she had an intention on not telling them. She knew they needed to know what was going on with Meg. But her first thought was not about them.

After checking to see if the boys were still asleep, she slipped out of the apartment to meet up with Crowley at their regular meeting spot. He ended up arriving late, which didn't help her mood at all. And although she gave him attitude, the possibility of knowing Meg's whereabouts kept him from making her pay for it.

"If she's still around that area I'll find her," he promised.

She knew he would try, but what she really needed was for him to succeed. Without Meg in the picture, her next meeting with Crowley would go much differently.

When she made it back to the apartment, Dean was already awake. He was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in his hands. He glanced at her curiously, but she had a box of donuts in her hands so he didn't seem to suspect anything was amiss.

"Is Sam up yet?" she asked as she placed the box on the table.

"Yeah," he replied with a grin. "The princess is in the bathroom pampering himself."

Normally she would've chuckled or at the very least smiled, but she couldn't this time. She was still worried about Mike.

"Is something wrong?" Dean asked, noticing her unusually stoic look.

"No," she replied unconvincingly.

He stood up from his seat. Walking over to her, he laid his hands on her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

She gazed into his concerned eyes, feeling hers attempting to well up with tears. She knew the only way to stop herself was to start explaining, but she'd hoped to wait for Sam. However she couldn't. She was almost past the point of being able to control herself. She looked him straight in the eyes and began to explain what had happened with Mike.

When Sam finally came out from the bathroom, he immediately spied his brother holding his wife. For a split second he felt a twinge of jealousy, but that passed as quickly as it came, replaced with concern.

"What's going on?" he asked with a hint of worry.

She raised her head up from Dean's shoulder, wiping tears as she did so. He backed away so Sam could take his place, who didn't hesitate to.

"I'm scared, Sam," she whispered to him as she laid her head on his chest, waiting for him to wrap his arms around her tightly. Once she was safely in his embrace, she began to explain what she'd just explained to Dean. She was able to keep fresh tears from forming, but her fear didn't lessen any.

"Bobby will make sure Mike's okay," he assured her, kissing her on the top of her head.

"What if he doesn't make it to him on time, Sam?" she said with panic. "He's the only friend I have in the world."

He brushed his fingers through her hair in an attempt to relax her. "Try not to worry, Jess. It's not good for the baby."

She knew he was right, but it stung a little at first. He seemed to be more concerned about the baby than how she felt. It was the moment she realized he'd settled into his upcoming role as a father. It warmed her heart. Besides, he was right. She could feel the baby was restless. The worry wasn't going to help anyone.

She was quiet for a minute before she finally spoke up. "You're right, Sam. Worry isn't going to get me anywhere. Besides, we still have a job to do."

He smiled, his hand moving down to rest on her belly. "That's right, we do. And we can't afford to be distracted right now."

What he said sounded a little cold to her, but it did make sense. If this was about anyone else, she would be saying the same thing. She needed to distance herself from her emotions. It just wasn't that easy for her any longer. She wanted to blame the demon blood, the baby, or her inability to have a drink. But she wasn't even sure that was it. Ever since she'd met the Winchesters, she'd been feeling things she hadn't for a long time. Feeling human. It made her sad to realize how many years she'd spent feeling virtually inhuman.

It was a couple of hours before she got a call from Bobby. He didn't stay on the phone long. Just long enough to let her know Mike was safe. He was doing his best to be cautious, in case they'd been followed. He would let her know more later. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear. But for the moment they were both safe and that was all that mattered. At least she could relax a little. And the boys could stop worrying about her.

She wasn't sure if it was because of worrying about Mike. But after the boys had left to watch the women's houses, Jessie began to feel anxious. She had insisted on staying at the apartment in case Bobby called, but she was beginning to regret that decision. She couldn't put her finger on the reason. She only knew she didn't feel safe.

Throughout the next few hours, she contantly got up from her seat at the kitchen table to wander around the apartment. She would stop at each and every window, staring out into the dark. A few times she could have sworn she had seen a black cat, possibly the same cat. But she kept telling herself she was just being paranoid before returning to her seat once again. She would repeat this over and over again for much of the night.

Around 2 a.m., she received a mysterious text from Sam. Normally she would've been asleep, but her paranoia wouldn't allow her to fall asleep. All the text said was, 'helping Dean'. And after texing him several times with no response, she had to believe he was busy. It was the only answer she wanted to believe.

Worrying about Sam and Dean, she wasn't even able to sit back down. She continued wandering around her apartment aimlessly. She was trying to resist the urge to call the boys, but she knew she shouldn't. They might be busy and she didn't want to be the reason there was a deadly distraction.

She was in the livingroom for about the hundredth time that evening when she heard a noise coming from the direction of the kitchen. She glanced in that direction, glimpsing what looked like the silhouette of an animal in the window. She immediately ran towards it, but by the time she reached she didn't see anything. She sighed in irritation at her paranoia.

She turned around to walk away from the window, startled by movement across the room. By the time she had turned in that direction, she came almost face to face with a monster.

Instinctively she knew it was the caranioang aswang they'd been hunting for. Although she had no idea what they looked like, there were bits and pieces of the lore that somewhat described how ugly and horrifying they were. It stood upright, just as it did when it was human. It was covered in what looked like fur, filthy and matted. Its hands were huge, the fingers long and slender with even longer claws. The mouth was full of sharp, pointy teeth. Her face, while covered in fur, still resembled that of a human woman, although more beastly—and hideous—than human.

"Dammit!" she cursed under her breath for not keeping a weapon on her.

It gazed at her with a sinister sneer, flexing its claws for a moment before beginning to approach her slowly.

She was practically trapped in a corner. No matter which way she went the monster would be able to grab her. There was only one thing she could try, besides attacking it with her bare hands.

"Stay the hell away from me and my baby!" she yelled.

"I'm not here for your baby," it snarled, with a voice that was animalistic but still resembled a human voice.

"What?" she said with surprise.

It walked closer to her, until it was only a few feet away.

"Do you not think I can smell it?" it asked, licking its lips. "Your baby's blood is tainted by evil."

She stepped back in surprise, completely floored by its reply.

"Then why? What are you doing here?" she asked in panic.

"Those men," she replied with a sneer. "They killed my sister tonight."

"So there were two of you?"

"Yes. But now that she's dead I'm going to make them pay."

Jessie knew it wasn't going to continue talking. It had said what it wanted to and all that was left was to kill her. She need to think quickly.

The monster sprang forward, its claws extended in a grabbing manner. Jessie moved to the side as fast as she could, but was unable to escape the long claws. They managed to scratch her deeply all the way down her forearm, screaming in agony as she pulled her arm away. She pulled her arm away so violently her momentum sent her tumbling over the kitchen chair she'd been sitting in earlier, landing on the floor on her side.

"I thought you would've put up more of a fight—hunter," it cackled in amusement.

It was difficult for her to think straight, with the throbbing pain in her arm and the worry about her baby. But she shook herself out of it quickly as the monster once again lunged for her. Grabbing the chair by the legs, she managed to swing it hard enough to make the monster back off slightly, but it was only momentarily. The monster once again lunged at her as she raised the chair, splintering it into several pieces. She had to close her eyes to avoid the shrapnel.

The monster once again lunged for her, but she had managed to keep a hold of the chair when it had shattered, the remaining piece of the leg still in her hand. She used it to hit the monster repeatedly as it reached for her, scratching her in several places in the process. But she knew what she had to do, she only had to wait for her opening. And hope she didn't die before it presented itself.

After the monster lunged at her again, she used her legs to knock it off balance. Although it managed to keep on its feet, it was the opportunity she needed. She used the broken end of the table leg as a stake, impaling it through the chest. The monster struggled and screamed in agony, thrashing about for a few moments before it finally fell over dead beside her.

Now that the immediate danger was over, she could once again feel how much pain she was in. Instinctively her good hand went to her belly. Even though she could feel the baby was moving and okay for now, it helped her relax and focus.

She tried to pull herself up on a nearby kitchen chair, but the moment she attempted to stand she began to feel lightheaded. She knew she would be worse off if she passed out, so she remained on the floor. She couldn't even reach her phone or laptop, which were both on the table. When she attempted to reach for them she felt herself becoming dizzy. She could only hope that Sam and Dean would be back soon.

She was lying on the floor, her t-shirt wrapped around her injured arm, when Sam and Dean arrived. She could hear the sound of dangling keys and the boys talking quietly outside the door. She didn't feel like she had the strength to yell, but she did anyway, calling out for both Sam and Dean. She heard Sam call out to her but she didn't respond. She was trying to keep still.

It was only seconds before the door flew open and the boys were at her side.

"What the hell happened?" Dean asked as he flipped the body of the dead monster over.

"Dean!" Sam said with panic in his voice. "Look at all the blood." He squatted down beside Jessie, helping her into a sitting position. "Are you okay?"

She nodded her head. "I just have some deep scratches. They bled a lot, but it didn't pierce an artery."

"I think we need to take you to the hospital."

"No, Sam. I'm fine. Really."

He glanced at his brother with worry who only shrugged in response. He wasn't about to get in the middle of something.

She unwrapped the t-shirt off of her arm so she could show him the damage.

He inhaled sharply once the instant he saw it, but was much calmer once he looked over the damage.

"Some of this blood must be from the monster," he said with relief.

Dean shot his brother a questioning look, making sure he wasn't going to jump down his throat if he asked her some questions. The look he returned seemed to be agreeable,

"I don't understand how this happened," Dean said as he looked at her. "We just killed this thing. How did it get here?"

"You didn't kill it," she replied. "You killed its sister."

"What?" the boys said in unison.

"Apparently both of those ladies were monsters. And they were sisters. It came after me when it found out you killed her."

The boys shot each other a look of guilt.

She sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with the boys. It wasn't their fault the monster had attacked her. But she knew they would blame themselves anyway, just as they always did. She decided just to tell them all the details so she could go to bed. It had been a long, exhausting night.

"Can you help me to the bathroom so I can clean up, Sam?"

Once she was cleaned up, Sam helped her into bed. He hovered around for a short time to make sure she was fine before heading into the livingroom to join his brother on the couch, who was watching a movie. He wondered why he hadn't gone to bed yet, considering it was almost four in the morning. And after the night they'd had, he should be exhausted.

"How's she doing?" Dean asked a few minutes after his brother had sat down.

"She seems fine. I really wanted her to go to the hospital, but she pitched a fit," he replied.

"She's a tough chick, Sammy. You shouldn't worry so much."

"Is that why you didn't go to bed yet? So you could talk to me?"

"Do I need to?"

"I'm fine, Dean."

"I don't think you are. And if that's the case, you need to let me know."

"What are you talking about, Dean? I'm fine. If anything you should be worrying about her?"

He gazed at his brother with disbelief. "Really, Sam? I don't think I have to worry about her. You heard her story the same as me. She was backed into a corner and still managed to kill that thing."

"Yeah, with luck."

"Then she's one lucky chick, Sammy. All these years hunting alone, no back up and not nearly as much training as us and she still manages to be—_lucky_."

"Dean—"

"No, Sam. I'm not gonna argue with you about this. Look what happened with you tonight. You coulda gotten yourself killed. And let me guess, you're not gonna tell Jessie about it, are you?"

"Unless I dress in the dark she's gonna notice."

"That's not the same as telling her, is it? That injury isn't as bad as it shoulda been if I hadn't been there."

"You're making a big deal out of nothing, Dean."

He clasped his hand on his brother's shoulder, gazing directly into his eyes. "Then tell me something then, Sam. Why have you been so distracted lately? If it was just once, I could let it slide. But it hasn't been."

"You know why."

He shook his head in disappointment. "Keep it up and you're gonna be the reason she gets hurt."

Sam shoved his brother angrily before standing up from the couch. He stomped out of the room, stopping only to tell him he was taking a walk before stomping out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Dean sighed, turning his attention back to the movie he'd been watching.

A few minutes later, Jessie came to sit on the couch beside him. She sat in silence for a short time, wondering if he would attempt to talk to her. However, he didn't seem to be in a talkative mood.

"Weren't you a little harsh with your brother?" she asked once commercials came on.

He looked at her with surprise. "You heard that?"

"I heard enough."

"He's my brother, Jessie. He needed to hear it."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, Dean," she replied, amused by his astonished look in response. "I just think you need to try a different approach, that's all."

"Really?"

She nodded her head in agreement.

"Anyway, thanks for believing in me, Dean. I know Sam does, too. I just think he's blinded by his worry."  
>He suddenly felt uncomfortable discussing his relationship with his brother. He wanted to change the subject, but he didn't want to arouse her suspicion. It wasn't often she confided in him about anything, but he didn't want her to think she couldn't if she needed to. Not after her meltdown not so long ago.<p>

"He's knows you're a good hunter, Jess. Don't let his insecurity make you doubt yourself," he replied supportively.

She smiled thankfully, patting him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Dean. I'm off to bed now."

He watched her walk into the bedroom and close the door before slumping on the couch. It had been a long night and an even longer morning. He just wanted to go to bed. But he wasn't about to. Not until his brother was safely back. Until then he was going to watch TV.

**A/N: I only read through this once, so if there are typos or grammar errors I apologize. It was finished and I have had a bad day, so to make myself feel better I wanted to post this immediately.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Although it had been a long night, Jessie still managed to wake up pretty early. Her injured arm was throbbing painfully and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get back to sleep. It would've helped if she could take something for the pain, but she couldn't. Not anything that would make a difference.

She rolled over to find Sam's side of the bed empty. She wasn't panicked, until she realized that his side of the bed hadn't been slept in yet. She knew there were several reasons why that might be, and most of them weren't good.

After quickly mussing her hair so it wasn't standing straight up, she walked into the livingroom to find Dean sleeping upright on the couch in almost the exact same position as she'd left him only hours before. She knew it meant that Sam hadn't come back and Dean had fallen asleep waiting for him. But before jumping to conclusions, she looked around the entire apartment to make sure he wasn't there.

Before she panicked and woke up Dean, since she didn't find him anywhere in the apartment, she checked her phone to see if he'd left any messages. After checking it and finding nothing, she began to fear the worst.

"Dean," she called loudly as she nudged his shoulder lightly. "Get up."

He snorted a little before his eyes slowly opened while he stretched his arms above his head.

"What?" he asked groggily.

"Sam hasn't been back since he went for a walk," she replied anxiously.

He stood upright in an instant, a look of concern on his face. "What time is it?"

"Almost ten."

He looked concerned, quickly turning around so she couldn't tell how concerned. Normally he would freak out if he thought his brother was in trouble. But he knew he needed to keep Jessie calm.

"He didn't leave any messages or notes?" he asked as he checked his phone.

"No."

"He didn't leave me one either," he replied as calmly as he could as he turned around to glance at her. "It's not like him."

She swallowed hard, glancing away from him. She didn't want to fear the worst. But with Meg going after Mike and almost getting killed by the Aswang, it was difficult to think luck was on her side at the moment.

"It'll be fine, Jessie," Dean said supportively. "We'll find him."

She nodded her head lightly. "I know."

As if they were thinking the exact same thing, they picked up their own phones simultaneously. But before either of them could make a call, they heard the familiar sound of flapping wings, announcing the arrival of the angel, Castiel.

"Dean. Jessie," he greeted them each with a nod.

"Cas, we don't really have time for you right now," Dean said. "We're—"

"Looking for Sam?" he interrupted.

Dean narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Do you know where he is?" she asked hopefully.

"That's why I am here," the angel replied.

"Some time today, Cas," Dean said impatiently.

"I came to find you and Sam earlier this morning, but I found Sam first. He told me to let you sleep."

He sighed impatiently. "That explains nothing, Cas."

"Right. My apologies," he replied, seemingly distracted. "Bobby needed some assistance, so I came to look for you."

"Why wouldn't he just call?"

"There was no time, Dean. Besides, he said it would be too dangerous."

"I don't under—"

"It will be quicker if I take you to them," he interrupted.

He raised his hands up, but before he could touch either of them, Dean spoke up.

"You're not zapping us, Cas. My car is here and so is all our stuff. Just tell me where they are."

He gazed at him impassively for a moment before speaking. "Just get your stuff ready and I'll just send it all there."

Dean shot Jessie an impatient look, which she might have found slightly amusing if she was utterly worried about Bobby. She didn't even take a second to think, she began to pack her belongings, followed by Sam's.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked as he walked into the bedroom.

"I'm fine," she replied quickly as she stuffed Sam's clothing into his dufflebag.

He knew by her quick, dismissive response that she was anything but fine. He also knew why. If Castiel had come to get them for Bobby, that meant Mike was involved.

"If you need to talk about anything, I'm here."

She sighed impatiently. "Just make sure everything's ready, Dean. That's what I need right now."

He knew by her tone of voice that she was upset but didn't want to discuss it. And since he wasn't in the mood to argue with her, he did exactly as she said. He went through the entire apartment packing everything they'd brought with them, leaving behind anything that was unnecessary or could be easily replaced.

Castiel popped in and out while he was waiting for them to get ready. Dean knew that Jessie was too busy to notice, but he did. And each and every time that he did, it made him feel uneasy, although he wasn't sure why.

Once Jessie was sure they had everything, she let Castiel know she was ready. She'd travelled in this manner once before, but she didn't particularly enjoy it. In fact, if there was any other way, she knew Dean would go along with her. It wasn't his favourite mode of transportation either.

She closed her eyes as Castiel's hand came near, hoping that if she kept them closed she wouldn't feel queasy afterwards. However, the instant he touched her, she opened her eyes on instinct. She was in a completely different place, her legs shaky and her stomach was a bit uneasy.

"Where are we?" Dean and Jessie asked simultaneously.

They were standing in front of a one floor ramshackle house that had seen better days. Neither of them recognized it.

"I don't have time to explain," he replied, seemingly distracted. "Bobby is in the house. He'll explain."

Before either of them had a chance to open their mouths, Castiel vanished.

"At least my car is here in one piece," Dean mumbled quietly.

She would've laughed, but something about where they were didn't sit right. She was only slightly worried before. But now, she was feeling incredibly anxious.

As if he had read her mind, Dean headed into the house ahead of her.

She was only footsteps behind him, but each step seemed like a mile. Everything that had happened since she'd first awakened was weighing on her. It wasn't like Sam not to call. And it wasn't like Castiel to show up to bring them some place, then just as mysteriously disappear. There was a reason he had, but he didn't stick around long enough to explain himself. From what she knew of him it all seemed out of character.

The first thing she noticed when she walked into the decrepit house was Bobby, who was sitting at an old rickety kitchen table with a bottle of whiskey. She knew something was seriously wrong, since it was still pretty early in the morning, although she suspected he'd been up all night, or at least since early in the morning. The look in his eyes was almost apologetic, and sorrowful, sending a shockwave of fear throughout her body, her stomach becoming queasier than it already was.

"What's going on?" she asked breathlessly.

Bobby continued to gaze at her with the same expression, also continuing to stay silent. She was about to demand an answer when Sam stode towards her from the doorway of an adjacent room. The look on his face was much like Bobby's, making another wave of nausea wash through her.

"I think we should talk in another room," he suggested quietly, taking hold of her good hand.

She shook her hand loose. "No. Whatever it is you can tell me right here. Right now."

He sighed lightly in regret, unsure how to tell her what he needed to.

"Please," he begged quietly.

Dean didn't know what was going on anymore than she did. But what he did know was the look on his brother's face. He needed to tell her something upsetting. He shot her a pleading look, hoping she would do as his brother asked.

She glanced back and forth between Bobby and Dean a couple of times before extending her hand for Sam to take. She let him lead her into a room that looked like it had been the livingroom once upon a time, impatiently waiting for an explanation.

He stood in front of her, grasping both of her hands firmly, a look of deep regret etched on his face.

"I don't know how to tell you this, Jess," he began, his voice quivering with sadness. "But, uh, Mike's dead."

"What?!" she yelled hysterically, ripping her hands from his. "No! No way! He can't be! No!"

Tears began to stream from her face. Her hands flying up to cover them, while Sam wrapped his arms around her tightly. She fought against him for a moment, giving up quickly as her grief took hold.

It was several minutes later before her sobbing slowed and she was able to speak, although she was finding it difficult to catch her breath. Her mind and heart were also still racing.

"What happened, Sam?" she stammered.

"We can talk about that later," he said quietly, reassuringly. "Do you want to see him?"

She nodded her head weakly, taking a hold of his proffered hand, allowing him to lead her down a hallway and into another room.

She closed her eyes as she noticed the figure of a man lying on an old cot, covered by a blanket. She shuffled close to it, but was unable to move the blanket. She stared at it unblinkingly, unable to move. It was almost as if time had suddenly became still, or at the very least, unimportant at that moment.

Sam knew she wouldn't be able to remove the blanket herself, so he began to slowly lift it away from Mike's face, watching to see if she would ask him to stop. She didn't give any signal she wanted him to stop, so he pulled it back quickly, revealing the broken and bloody face of the man she'd called her best friend for more than half of her life.

Jessie collapsed to her knees in front of the cot, wailing, crying uncontrollably, occasionally uttering words of blame between the sobs.

Sam kneeled on the floor beside her, his arm laid across her supportively, feeling useless, unsure of how he could possibly console her. He had tried to help Mike when Castiel had called on him, but he'd already been too late. His injuries were already too severe. If he hadn't been more concerned with Bobby's welfare, maybe he could have done something. Maybe. Either way he felt incredibly guilty. The tears he cried weren't only for her. They were tears of guilt and shame.

It was several minutes later when she asked him for directions to the bathroom, which she proceeded to head to in a rush. He followed right behind her, but she slammed the door as he tried to follow her inside. He was afraid to leave her alone in her state of mind, but he also didn't want to upset her any more than she already was. However, when her heard the sound of her vomitting, his concern couldn't keep him out.

"Get out, Sam," she said with shame as she was leaning over the toilet bowl.

"I can't," he replied as he pulled the hair away from her face. "Whether you want to admit it or not, you need me right now."

She felt ashamed having him in the bathroom with her while she was sick. But he was right. She needed him right now. She'd never admit it to him. But she did. She hated to feel vulnerable and weak. But somehow it was okay with him.

After cleaning herself up, she headed back into the kitchen where Bobby and Dean were sitting down discussing something quietly. She had to assume they were discussing what had happened, especially since they became silent the moment she walked in the room.

"I need to know what happened," she demanded quietly.

Dean glanced back and forth from Bobby to his brother a few times before excusing himself from the room.

"Why don't you sit, Jess?" Bobby asked, pointing to the seat across from him.

She shook her head adamantly. "No. I can't sit right now."

Sam shot Bobby a meaningful look, wrapping his arm around her waist supportively. She leaned into him just slightly, letting him know she appreciated his comfort.

"Alright," Bobby said, taking a long drink from his glass of whiskey. "I made it to the bar to pick Mike up. All of that went swimingly. It was while we were driving to one of my safe houses that Meg attacked us."

"How? How did she find you?" she asked. "You had a hex bag with you, right?"

He gazed at her with shame. "Yeah. I had no idea how she found us until afterwards. When I was moving Mike's body, a strange coin fell out of his pocket. She must of planted it on him at the bar."

"That would explain why she didn't hurt him at the bar. But why wait? What was she after?"

He averted his gaze. "She was hoping that he'd lead her to you, Jess. But when she realized he was with me, she figured she didn't need him anymore. She figured she could send you a message instead."

"What?"

"I tried to stop her. She knocked me for a loop before she went after him."

"Wait a minute. What? You look just fine, Bobby. Not even a hair out of place."

He glanced away uneasily for a moment, attempting to hide his look of regret.

"I look fine 'cause the angel healed me."

"What?" she said shortly, her anger rising steadily. "Then why is Mike dead? Why didn't Castiel heal him?

"Jessie, you need to calm down," Bobby replied soothingly.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down, Bobby!" she said furiously. "I want to know why Castiel didn't heal Mike and I want to know now!"

Sam attempted to calm her down, but she pushed him away, the commotion bringing Dean back into the room.

"You know, don't you?" she asked Bobby, angry tears were being to fall from her eyes. "You would've asked him to heal, Mike. Wouldn't you?"

"Of course," he replied genuinely. "I did."

"Then why didn't he?" she asked, her angry tears turning to sadness.

"He couldn't, Jess," he replied with despair. "Mike was already dead by the time he showed up."

She shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand. Angels can bring people back from the dead."

"I can explain, Jess. If you'll just give me a chance."

She was silent for a moment, attempting to get control over her emotions once again. It was a struggle. Shaking her head once she was ready to listen.

He hesitated for a moment, knowing what he was about to say was probably going to send her over the deep end. However, there was no way to avoid that now. He had to tell her the truth.

"Things are different up in heaven now, Jess. It's kinda like a democracy. Cas told me he can only bring someone back to life if the other angels would allow it."

She closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths and swallowing hard, fresh tears beginning to find their way from her eyes. She was fighting a whirlwind of emotions. Sadness, anger and regret, the most prevalent of them. Each fighting to be the dominant one. The only way for her to keep herself in check was to not allow any of them to take hold. She needed to feel each and every one of them. All while the demon blood running through her veins was trying to keep the focus on the anger and rage.

"I need to be alone," she said once she'd opened her eyes. She didn't wait for anyone to respond, immediately running out the front door.

Sam attempted to follow after her, but Bobby convinced him not to. He knew she needed to be alone, which was what he needed as well. A single glance was all it took for Dean to usher his brother out of the room to talk.

Bobby stood up from the table, walking across the room, picking up the lid from his bottle of whiskey off the floor. He examined it, wondering how it had flown across the room when no one had been near it. All he knew is Jessie had become enraged and it flew across the room, as if she had telekinetic powers. But he knew she didn't. He only wished he knew what it meant. However, he knew he should keep this secret for the time being. There was no point in worrying or upsetting Sam or Dean needlessly. Until he knew something for sure, he would have to keep it to himself.

After running out the front door, Jessie ran around the house, into the backyard and continued to walk until she was well away from it. Just as the house was run down, so was the property surrounding it. The grass, bushes and trees were all overgrown, hanging here and there. She had to climb over, under and around obstacles until she reached a bit of a clearing where a bunch of trees had fallen over many years before. Finding the cleanest log, she sat down and began crying.

Once her sobbing subsided, her anger began to return once again. Against her better judgement, she yelled for Crowley for several minutes, hoping he would find her. Of course the longer she waited, the more angry she became, until she was pretty much seething.

"Hello, my dear," Crowley greeted her with his usual furtive grin.

"What the hell took you so long?" she demanded furiously.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Might I remind you who you're speaking to."

She took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "I told you where Meg was, why didn't you find her?"

"You didn't give me an exact location, now did you?"

"Is that an excuse for your gross incompetence?"

She'd barely spoken the words when she felt her throat constricting, leaving her to struggle for breath. It was only seconds, but it felt much longer than that. She knew she'd overstepped the bounds of their 'relationship', but she had been past the point of caring. However, his 'gentle' reminder snapped her out of it.

"I know all about your...loss," he said dismissively. "You're lucky it was only him."

She began to see red again, glaring at him furiously.

"Screw you, Crowley! You knew where she was but you let her kill my best friend, didn't you?"

"Why would I care one way or the other?"

"You know exactly why. So you can keep me dependant on the damn demon blood. So you can keep my under your thumb."

He grinned furtively. "If that's what you think, then shouldn't you be asking yourself why you're allowing me to?"

He was right and she knew it. He was manipulating her. But at the same time she was using him. And her pride, well it wouldn't let her believe that Crowley could pull one over on her. She had to believe that no matter what his plans were for her child, she would be able to stop him. It was the only way she'd been able to keep going for this long. And it was the only way she was going to be able to keep going.

"Besides this," he said, tossing her a thermos, "What exactly do you want? Are you looking to make a deal for your friend's life?"

"What?!" she replied with outrage. "I've already sold my self respect to you. Do you really think I'd sell my soul, too?"

"Your loss," he replied flippantly.

She closed her eyes for a moment to quell the rage that was once again bubbling inside her. When she opened them, he was gone. Sighing in relief, she downed the contents of the thermos before throwing it into the trees in disgust.

It was nearly silent in the woods surrounding the house, only a few critters could be heard scurrying around. And now that Crowley was gone and she was alone again, her sadness began to overwhelm her. She knew she never could have sold her soul for Mike, but that didn't make it hurt any less. It was her fault he was dead and it wasn't fair. And although she loved Sam with all of her heart. At this moment she wished she could go back to a time before she'd met the Winchesters.

She sat on the log for almost an hour, most of the time spent crying. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this badly. But she had to assume it was the night she accidentally killed her boyfriend. That was the night she swore she would never attempt suicide again. Not because it was wrong. But as a punishment. She would live on and be miserable for what she'd done. Something she'd done for a long time. But no longer. Now she wanted to live. Not only for Sam and her unborn child, but for revenge. She was going to make Meg pay for what she'd done. If it was the last thing she'd ever do.

As she approached the house, she nearly ran into Sam as he rounded the corner of the house to look for her. She wanted to be angry with him for following her, but when she realized she'd been gone for over an hour, she couldn't blame him.

"I was worried about you," he said apprehensively.

"It's okay, Sam," she replied ruefully. "I, uh, kinda need you right now."

He smiled at her supportively, wrapping his arms around her and pulled her close.

She was on the verge of tears again, but having Sam hold her tightly helped keep her from losing it again. She'd cried enough for the time being. And she had some things to think about. She couldn't do that while she was busy crying.

Once she was back inside the house, she did her best to ignore the relieved looks she saw pass between Bobby and Dean and get on with the nasty task she needed to complete. Making up a story about Mike that both the cops and coroner would believe. That was all that mattered. Everyone she knew personally would at least believe she wouldn't have had anything to do with his death, since they all knew how close they had been. The only problem was, she couldn't think straight. This was going to have to be more of a discussion between the three men with the occasional input from herself.

After an hour, they came up with a viable story that hopefully the authorities would believe. By this point, Jessie didn't really care. If they locked her up, she would take her punishment without so much as a whimper. She deserved to suffer for what had happened to him. No amount of punishment would ever make her feel differently. For the meantime, the crushing weight of her guilt would have to be punishment enough.

Bobby and Jessie drove in his Chevelle with Mike's body in the trunk, removing it once they'd made it to the destination they'd chosen to recreate the 'accident' that had claimed his life. It had happened on a quiet back road, which is exactly the spot they'd chosen for the re-creation. It wasn't the best plan, but since Dean's idea to ask Castiel for some divine assistance went unanswered, it was the best idea they could come up with.

She did everything that was required of her, although it was the last thing she wanted to do. She had to fight off several waves of nausea and a few dizzy spells, which she didn't mention to anyone. But by the time they were through, no one seemed to suspect anything was amiss.

After leaving the police station, where the police had insisted on interrogating them, they met up with the Winchesters at a prearranged location before stopping at a small diner, which Dean declared was a very late lunch or an early dinner. Either way, Jessie didn't feel like eating. She knew she had to, but she was afraid it wasn't going to stay down.

She ordered a very small meal hoping that once it came she would be able to eat. But all she could do was move it around with her fork.

"Aren't you hungry?" Sam asked with concern, placing his arm around her.

She knew a big part of her reluctance to eat came from being upset about her friend's death. And although she knew he was worried about her, she couldn't help the attitude.

"Would you be, Sam?" she replied harshly.

He looked confused and slightly taken aback.

"I know you're upset but you need to eat something."

"Don't tell me what I need right now," she replied angrily, throwing down her fork and pushing her plate of food away from her.

"Jessie—"

"Cram it, Bobby!" she practically yelled before leaving the table, and the diner. Ignoring the strange looks from the staff and patrons.

Sam attempted to get up from the table to follow her but his brother stopped him.

"Just let her go, Sam."

"Why? Are you gonna tell me not to worry about her again, Dean?"

"Enough!" Bobby said authoritatively. "I'll go after her. You two eat."

The brothers shot each other a look of blame before watching him leave the diner.

Bobby found Jessie leaning up against the Impala, her arms crossed. Not in an angry manner, but in a sorrowful, protective manner. She looked more upset than angry when he approached, which was definitely a surprise to him.

"I'm not really in the mood to talk, Bobby," she said before he could even open his mouth.

"I know, Jess. I don't even know what to say to you, except, we're worried about you."

She shook her head in disabelief. "Skipping a couple of meals isn't gonna to hurt me. I'm well fed."

He nodded his head in agreement lightly. "I know. You're right. But I think there's something else we should discuss."

She glanced at him curiously. "What's that?"

His gaze shifted, unable to continually look into her eyes.

"Uh, I know this is kind of a strange question but, have you ever been telekinetic?"

"What?" she asked with utter surprise.

"Well, earlier today when you got upset, I swear the lid from my bottle of whiskey went flying across the room."

She stared at him as stoically as she could, but inside she was screaming. This was one of those things Crowley had warned her about. She knew she'd done it. And she also knew Bobby was probably going to be suspicious no matter what her response was.

"I don't know what to tell you," she replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders.

He wasn't sure if she was being completely honest, but now wasn't the time to question her further. However, he decided he would keep a closer eye on her.

Bobby kept her company for a few short minutes before the Winchesters came out of the diner. After a quick goodbye to him, she climbed into the back of the Impala and laid down. Using her dufflebag as a pillow she dozed off almost immediately.

It was a long drive back to Bobby's house, which Dean did as quickly as possible, only stopping once for dinner, which Jessie only managed to nibble at her food. And two more stops, one for gas and one for a potty break—arriving around midday.

The moment she was back at Bobby's, she began making calls for funeral arrangements. She began to get irritated quickly when Sam continued to hover around her constantly looking like he had a question to ask, but never did. And after one particularly unpleasant call, she finally decided to call him on it.

"What's your problem, Sam?" she asked much more harshly than she had intended.

He seemed unphased by her attitude.

"I just wanted to know why you're the one making all of the arrangements? Doesn't he have a family?"

She snorted. "Yeah, right. His mom passed away a couple years back. And his dad, well, he disowned him once he found out he was gay."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was pretty much the only family he had left," she said, her voice trembling and her eyes welling up with tears.

"I'm so sorry, Jess," he said, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

She had wanted to get through all of the phone calls she needed to make without losing it, but she couldn't help it now. It had been a long time since she'd thought about how little family Mike had had and how they were both in a similar boat. And in all reality, she thought she'd be long dead before him. She never thought she'd be planning his funeral. Especially since it was her fault he was dead.

"Is there something I could help you with?" Sam asked once her sobbing had subsided.

She nodded her head. "Yeah, but not right now," she replied, wiping tears from her face. "I can make the phone calls myself, but, I can't go to his house alone."

He nodded supportively, releasing his grip on her.

Since it was almost evening when she was finished making the calls she needed to, Dean went out to get dinner for everyone. And although she was hungry, she had a difficult time keeping any of it down. At least she managed to eat enough to satisfy the over protective men in the house. Or at the very least, they didn't say anything to her.

After a very restless sleep that night, she woke up the next morning with a mission. There were too many things she needed to do to let anyone, or anything, get in her way. She nibbled at the breakfast that Bobby gave her before rushing Sam out of the house.

Although Sam had insisted on driving, she refused to let him drive her car. It had been a while since she'd been behind the wheel of her girl and she wanted to enjoy it while she could. The rest of day, and probably the next few, would be unpleasant so she needed to take whatever joy she could get, where ever she could get it.

When she arrived, she hesitated at the door to Mike's apartment for a minute before she could finally unlock the door. As she walked through the threshhold, she had to stop for a moment to fight back tears that were welling up in her eyes. The place was almost exactly as she remembered it. She hadn't been there in probably two years, but it hadn't really changed all that much.

Although she tried not to let them, her feelings managed to overwhelm her. She sat on the couch, a couch she'd spent nights sleeping on in the past, and cried, while Sam sat supportively beside her, his arm around her.

It wasn't long before she was able to take control of her emotions, much to Sam's surprise. It wasn't so much the demon blood than it was her own desire to do right by Mike. She had to get through all of this for him.

She searched through his closets until she found something for him to wear. It wasn't completely fancy, but it wasn't at all casual, so at least no one could say it was inappropriate as his last outfit. When she turned around, she found Sam glancing at some framed photos on his dresser. She hesitated, afraid to go near them, wanting to keep it together.

"Is this you?" Sam asked lifting one of the photos into his hand.

She approached him slowly, glancing at the photograph, smiling as she noticed the two goofy kids, herself and Mike shortly after they'd met.

"Yeah, that's me," she replied slightly ashamed. "I was a gangly pre-adolescent then."

"You were adorable," he said teasingly.

She smacked him lightly. "At least I was taller than you at that age."

He smiled, placing the photo down and picking up another. "When was this?"

"Oh my god," she said with even more shame. "This was the day I was on American Idol."

He placed the picture back, reaching for another, but she placed his hand on his to stop him.

"I can't go through memory lane right now, Sam," she said, her voice quivering slightly.

"I'm sorry," he said, grasping for her hand.

She pulled her hand away in one swift motion.

"Yeah, everyone's sorry," she replied, turning away from him quickly. "I have some important papers to find, then we can get outta here."

He sighed, wishing he knew what to say to make her feel better.

Once she found what she needed, the couple left the apartment and headed in to town.

She had many stops to make throughout the day, which she managed to get through without breaking down. And by the time she was done, she was exhausted. Between dealing with so many people, making so many decisions and fighting her emotions, she just wanted to close her eyes and pass out. She even allowed Sam to drive back to her house.

She said little to him once they arrived, going straight up to bed, climbing under her covers. Now that she could relax, she released every bit of emotion she'd been holding back, crying herself to sleep.

Jessie was up the next morning at the crack of dawn, waking Sam up as she climbed out of bed. For the first time in days she actually felt rested, but that was the least of her problems. Now she was feeling shaky. She wasn't sure if she just needed to eat, or she needed something else. But she knew it would be nearly impossible to sneak away from Sam. He had been hovering so close to her, like he was afraid to let her out of his sight. She didn't blame him. She knew he was worried. However, that wasn't going to make it any easier on her.

"Sam," she called while looking through her cupboards. "You wouldn't mind going to the store for me, would you? I feel like having toast for breakfast."

He seemed reluctant but he agreed, leaving almost immediately.

The moment Sam was out of view, she called Crowley and had him meet her in the backyard. He was his usual self, only with a few more insults in him. He reminded her that Meg would probably be nearby and to watch her ass. But she didn't care. She hoped she ran into her.

By the time Sam made it back, she was feeling much better. Her shaking had disappeared and her head was clear. Which was a good thing. It was going to be another very long day.

After breakfast, she spent the next hour choosing an appropriate outfit for the day. She chose a conservative, dark colored dress. One that wasn't too revealing, but also didn't say business woman or FBI agent, which was actually difficult since she chose not to wear a dress most of the time. She even surprised herself that she owned such a thing.

Sam stood by Jessie through everything she had to go through that day. From one thing to another. The most difficult being the visitation that evening. She hadn't wanted to have one, but the funeral director had talked her into it. It was the one time she wished Sam had opened his mouth and made a decision for her. Of course she could never blame him. He was doing everything he could for her, and she hadn't made it very easy. But then again, what was easy about your best friend in the world dying? Especially when it was your fault.

She had a difficult time playing nice with some of the people who came to pay their respects to Mike during the visitation, but all in all she made it through. At the very least, it bode well for the next day. The funeral.

Jessie had a difficult time sleeping that night. Too much was going through her mind, which seemed to be making the baby restless as well. No matter how comfortable she got in the bed, no matter how tired she was, sleep was pretty much elusive for much of the night. And once she finally did fall asleep, it wasn't restful.

Sam had to wake Jessie up the next morning, although he didn't want to. He knew she hadn't slept very well, he hadn't either. Listening to her breathing all night, he didn't fall asleep until hers had become even, telling him she was finally asleep. He woke up only two hours later when she moved around in her sleep. But by the time he realized she was still asleep, he was wide awake and was unable to go back to sleep.

He did everything he could to support her. He didn't question her and followed everything she asked him to do. He wasn't sure how difficult the funeral was going to be for her, but he was worried. She'd been keeping it together much better than he'd expected. Especially for being sober. He was afraid that at any moment she might lose it. And he was even more afraid he wouldn't be able to help her through it. He just had to hold on to the hope that their love would conquer all of it, as cheesy as it sounded to him.

Jessie managed to keep it together through the funeral, including the eulogy. Tears fell, but she was able to speak without interruption. She had practiced what she was going to say, but in the end, most of it was stuff she hadn't bothered to write down. She realized that she had so much to say about Mike, even the priest had become impatient. But the service was not for him, nor was it for the rest of the people attending. It was for Mike. And he deserved the best.

When the service ended, it was her job to stick around and speak to people. This was probably the worst part of the whole day. She didn't want to stay and talk to people she barely knew, or didn't like. But once again she didn't have a choice. She would have to do her best to keep it together just a bit longer for Mike's sake.

She was speaking to a particularly obnoxious bar patron that had known Mike for a long time when she noticed the funeral director walk up to Sam and whisper something in his ear. Sam's expression changed from stoic to distressed in a split second. He hadn't seemed to notice she'd been watching him, because as soon as he noticed, his face went stoic once again.

She excused herself as politely as possible before sweeping over to Sam, grasping him by the arm firmly.

"What's going on?" she asked anxiously.

"Uh, it's nothing," he lied.

"Sam," she said with a serious look on her face. "I saw the funeral director speak to you. What's going on?"

He gazed at her apologetically but stayed silent.

"Dammit, Sam. What is it?" she pleaded quietly. "Demons?"

"Worse," he replied tersely.

"What could be worse than demons?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

He sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry, Jess."

She wasn't sure what he meant, until she looked into the direction he was looking. Then she saw it. It was even worse than she would've imagined. She would've welcomed demons right now. She needed to blow off some steam. This she didn't need.

"Who the fuck called the paparazzi?" she asked furiously. "How the hell would they have found us here?"

"I don't know, but we need to find another way out of here," he replied soothingly.

She rolled her eyes in irritation at his lame attempt to assuage her anger. However, she would've been more angry if he'd told her to calm down. She had to imagine he was much smarter than that.

After speaking to the funeral director, the couple managed to find another way out of the building where no one happened to be. It meant they had to leave her car for the meantime, but it was a small price to pay to avoid the nosey reporters. She really regretted ever going on that TV show.

Neither Sam or Jessie had any idea who would've called them, but they each had their own theories.

Sam assumed it was someone that didn't like Jessie very much, which he mistakenly suggested there seemed to be no shortage of. For that remark he got the silent treatment for an hour.

Jessie figured it wasn't so much someone as it was something. She though it was possible Meg had been the one to call them. She would never suggest it to Sam, because then he would ask why she thought a demon would possibly be so passive-aggressive. Definitely didn't seem like demon behaviour. But she knew it had to be her. It was the only way she would be able to get to her while Crowley was nearby. It only made her want to kill Meg more.

**A/N: I had a difficult time writing this chapter. I regretted having to kill Mike, but it was necessary to the plot. I had written half of the chapter before I actually decided to go ahead with it. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

After Mike's funeral, Jessie and Sam spent one day alone at her house before they headed back to Bobby's. While it was nice to be alone with Sam, she figured having more people around would keep her from focusing on her guilt and sorrow. Besides, she figured he needed a break from constantly consoling her.

For the next couple of days, the boys spent their time looking for a case while she pretty much just cooked and cleaned. Other than hunting, it was the only thing that could keep her mind off the pain. While her temper was short, the men seemed to forgive her considering all she'd been through. Although after a few days they seemed to have had enough. That was when she stopped talking to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary.

They'd been there for about five days when the angel Castiel decided to make a visit. He had only come to update them on the hunt for Meg, so it was a brief visit. However, it was anything but civil. Jessie had been out of the room when he showed up. But the moment she walked in she began yelling at him, telling him to leave using various obscenities, all the while he stood gazing at her in confusion. Bobby quickly escorted her out of the room.

"I've been pretty patient with you, young lady. But this attitude of yours needs to stop," he scolded.

"How can you say that to me, Bobby?" she asked with dismay.

"I know it's been hard on you. But this anger of yours is not healthy."

"Right. 'Cause you're never angry."

He shook his head in frustration. "That's my point. You don't want to be like me, do you? Grumpy and alone."

"You're not alone, Bobby."

"And neither are you. But if you continue to let your anger control you, you might find yourself alone before long."

"My family is dead, Bobby."

"What am I? And Sam? And Dean?"

She glanced away in shame, knowing he was right. She had let her anger control her. It was easier than giving in to her sorrow. Or guilt. And she'd done enough crying to last a lifetime.

"But it was my fault, Bobby. Mike would be alive today if he'd never met me."

"I don't want to hear you say something like that ever again. Mike loved you. He'd never blame you for what happened. If you want to blame someone, blame me. I was supposed to protect him."

She shook her head furiously. "It's not your fault. It's Meg's. And I'm gonna make that bitch pay."

"Dammit, Jess," he said with disappointment. "Don't go thinking you can take her on all by yourself. What do you think the angel was doing when he came to get you? He's the whole reason I'm here and not dead, too."

His words made her stop and think for a moment. Made her feel the all too familiar sensation of tears welling up in her eyes. But she wasn't going to let her sorrow take over again. She needed to be past it.

"The truth is, he saved you because he knows you. And he didn't save Mike because he didn't matter to him. I don't even matter to him, Bobby. The only reason I'm alive is because I matter to Sam. And because this baby matters to him. So excuse me if I don't bend over backwards to be friendly to him."

He knew she was probably right, but he wasn't at all happy with her attitude. He'd noticed a decline in her friendly demeanor, and it wasn't just with the angel. She'd done nothing more than snap at everyone, including Sam, for the past two days and it seemed to be getting worse. The worst part was he didn't know how to reach out, how to snap her out of it. He only hoped it passed before she began losing everything.

Once Bobby had returned to the library—where the angel was—she grabbed her coat from the hallway and headed outside.

It wasn't nearly as cold as it had been and much of the snow had melted, so after she stopped by the shed she decided to take a walk. Being cooped up in the house had been getting to her. She wanted to get out, hunt something. Her belly was starting to become larger, which meant she would soon have to stay home. She needed to hunt while she could. She needed to find Meg. It was pretty much the only thing that was on her mind these days.

When she made it back to the house, the three men were in the kitchen. Their heads turning at almost the exact same time, pretty much giving her the same look of concern.

"I just went for a walk," she said with irritation. "Am I gonna get this look every damn time?"

Sam got up from the table sweeping over to her, ushering her from the room.

"We need to talk," he said ominously.

She rolled her eyes slightly. "What about?"

"I know Castiel isn't your favorite, uh, person in the world, but he was here to help."

"Can we not talk about him, Sam?"

He shook his head in frustration. "Look. Meg is snooping around here. And you know what happened last time."

"You mean, when she slaughtered my friend?"

He sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He was conflicted. He didn't know what to say to her to help. But at this point, he'd pretty much lost every bit of patience he'd ever had. The only thing he could do to keep himself from yelling was to bite his tongue—hard.

"Can we not do this, please?" he begged.

She gazed at him with confusion. "Do what?"

He sighed again, shaking his head this time. "This. All of this attitude. I know you're hurting but your anger is way out of control."

"How dare you say that to me, Sam!" she replied angrily. "How dare you tell me how I should be feeling!"

"Forget it!" he yelled. "I can't even talk to you when you're like this!"

She watched as he stormed away with confusion. She stayed where she was for a few moments before taking off up to her room.

Once she was in the solace of her bedroom, she realized she had been in the wrong. It was difficult for her to realize that her anger had been out of control. But after much soul searching, she realized it was. She knew it was more than Mike's death. It was also the demon blood. Of course the worst thing was, Sam had never raised his voice to her since they'd met. Not even once. Even after all she'd done by hiding from him, he had never yelled at her. And instead of being ashamed, or even taken aback, she responded with more anger. She hated herself for it. But she was unsure what to do about, besides the obvious. All she could do was apologize and try much harder to keep herself under control.

After about an hour, she headed back downstairs to find Sam. She found him sitting in the livingroom on the couch with his laptop. He glanced up at her for a moment when she walked into the room before turning his attention back to what he was doing.

She sat down besides him, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence. But after a couple of uncomfortable and awkward minutes, she realized he wasn't going to.

"Can we talk, Sam?" she asked humbly. "Please?"

He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. When he reopened them, he closed his laptop, turning towards her stoically.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I've had some time to reflect on my attitude and you were right."

He gazed at her silently for a few moments. "Is that it?"

"What?"

"I don't want to be right, Jess," he replied with exasperation. "I want it to stop."

His words hit her hard. In wanting to stop feeling the pain and heartache, she'd allowed herself to pretty much turn away any feelings other than hate and rage. She couldn't even remember the last time Sam had touched her in any manner for the past couple of days. Even in bed they slept apart from each other. In fact, they'd barely even spoken to each other. It's not how she wanted things to be. She wanted her revenge. But it wasn't worth losing the most important thing that mattered to her in this world.

She closed her eyes before covering her face in shame and began to sob. It was the first time she'd cried in days. It was also the first time in days she'd felt anything besides blinding rage. It was painful, but she allowed herself to feel it all.

Sam hesitated as she began to cry. But once he realized she was being genuine, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her protectively. He knew she'd been hurting. He just couldn't understand why she'd felt the need to push him away. He allowed a couple of tears to fall. A result of feeling relief over her change in attitude. He only hoped it was permanent.

For the rest of the day, Jessie spent her time with Sam. She needed to reconnect with him and her own feelings. She'd been returning to the way she'd been in her past—sans alcohol—and she didn't like it. She also didn't like the looks everyone gave her as if they were afraid to even speak to her. But most of all, she didn't like the distance between herself and Sam. None of the things she'd done would be worth a damn if she lost him. She couldn't let that happen.

The couple spent part of the evening watching a movie on TV, before heading up to their bedroom. Things were a little awkward between them. But for the first time in two weeks, they made love to each other before falling asleep.

The next morning was a much more peaceful event than it had been in a week. Jessie cooked and everyone ate, complete with civil, if even jovial conversation. It was almost like things had been before Mike's death. Almost.

While Jessie was finding it a little easier to be her normal self. The anger she was bottling up inside of her was still there. She just seemed to have a better handle on it than she had in the past few days. At the very least, she wasn't snapping at anyone. She considered that progress.

They were still gathered at the kitchen table an hour after breakfast when there was a knock at the door. Each of them passed looks of surprise at each other before Bobby got up to answer it. He wasn't gone long before he came back with a package and a letter.

"You expecting a package, Jessie?" Bobby asked as he handed her the envelope while placing the package on the table.

She took the envelope while eyeing the package suspiciously. It was rectangular. Taller than it was thin. It looked like it could be a small painting, but she had no clue. She hadn't been expecting anything.

The men watched with expectation as she opened the envelope. She swallowed hard as she pulled out a birthday card, her heart sinking the moment she opened it up. She instantly recognized the hand writing. It was from Mike.

' _I know you're probably going to think I'm being cheesy or something, but I had no idea what to get you for your birthday. I know you hate celebrating it, and will probably kill me for even getting you something. But ever since you met Sam you've been different. Now that you're happy, I thought things could be different. In fact, you've actually inspired me. If you can find someone to make you happy, so can I. So I wanted to give you something to commemorate all the happy moments in your life. You're the best friend a person could ever have. Love, Mike._ '

Tears had begun to fall from her eyes while she was reading. And when she was done, she didn't even look up from the card, she slammed it down on the table before running upstairs, flopping onto her bed and pulling the covers around her—sobbing.

Sam allowed her to cry for some time before he even walked into the bedroom. He'd read the card after she'd ran upstairs so he understood why she was so upset. He hadn't even remembered it was her birthday, which he felt bad for. But even if he had, he wasn't sure if she would've wanted to celebrate.

He called her name quietly before approaching the bed, sitting on the edge of it. When she didn't acknowledge him, he slowly pulled the blanket away from her until he could see her face. He didn't even know what to say, but he figured he had to try something.

"Hey," he called, brushing hair away from her face. "Are you okay?"

She opened her eyes slowly, hesitantly, blinking several times as the brightness hurt her tear stung eyes. She attempted to smile at his supportive gaze, but all she could manage was a grimace of pain.

"No."

"I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't remember today was your birthday."

She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting off another fresh wave of tears, swallowing hard. When she opened her eyes again, she found a slight amount of comfort in Sam's apologetic eyes.

"It's okay, Sam," she replied sadly. "I didn't even remember myself."

"I wish I knew what to say to you," he said regretfully.

She smiled lightly, patting the bed beside her.

He returned her smile before carefully climbing over her, sitting beside her.

"Just hold me, Sam," she said, cuddling up to him and closing her eyes.

He pulled her close, holding her supportively. He ran his fingers through her hair for a short time, eventually dozing off.

Sam and Jessie walked into the kitchen a couple of hours after they'd went upstairs, both had fallen asleep. Normally, Dean would have given his brother a teasing look for disappearing upstairs with his wife for so long. But for once he knew it would be wrong. Instead, he shot Bobby a concerned look, who shot him one in return.

"I guess I should open this," she said, standing at the table in front of the package.

Sam stood by her supportively, his arm around her waist. He wasn't going to push her, although he thought it would be best if she did just get it over with.

She tore off the thick brown paper to reveal a large picture frame with several pictures. All of them were pictures of herself with Mike, except for the middle most one, which was a picture of herself with Sam on their wedding day.

"Oh my god," she gasped as tears began to form in her eyes.

Sam took the frame from her when her hands had begun to shake, placing it down on the table before pulling her into a tight embrace. He held her until she stopped sobbing, which was only a minute later.

"I'm okay," she said with an appreciative smile as she brushed his cheek lightly.

He returned her smile, releasing his grip on her.

She picked up the picture frame again, glancing over it with appreciation and admiration. All of the pictures depicted good memories for her. And while Mike was now gone, her memories of him weren't. He obviously had went through a lot of effort to put such a wonderful present together for her, she couldn't just deny it existed. She was going to make sure she hung it up at her house the next time she went there. If nothing more than to honor her fondest memories of her best friend.

"I'm not really up for celebrating my birthday," she said to the men as she placed the frame back down on the table. "But, I think we all deserve a good meal after all we've been through lately. So if there's no objections, I'm taking us all out for a steak dinner."

There were no objections, but both Bobby and Dean seemed to have some concerns. Although neither of them spoke it aloud, each of them knew what the other was thinking. But since Sam seemed content that his wife was in a good mood, they wanted to keep him happy. And most of all, they wanted to keep Jessie happy. She'd been miserable for so long, they didn't want to do anything to change that.

The restaurant she had in mind was two towns over, so they had to leave an hour before they'd intended to eat. Everyone hopped into the Impala, with Dean driving and Bobby riding shotgun, while the married couple sat in the back. It was a quiet ride, but also uneventful. Which at this point, everyone was grateful for.

After everyone had finished eating their main course, and before dessert, Bobby handed Jessie an envelope. She was surprised, assuming that he'd forgotten her birthday just like she had. And of course the brothers were also shocked, shooting each other looks of surprise that didn't go unnoticed by either Bobby or Jessie, but were ignored.

She opened the envelope, smiling in amusement as she saw the dragon on the front of the card. When she opened the card, there was a piece of paper folded inside. She shot Bobby a curious glance as she unfolded it and began to read it, an excited grin creeping across her face.

"Oh my god, you found it!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I found out where it was. But buying it is gonna be up to you. It's a little bit out of my price range," he replied with a delighted grin.

She smiled at him brightly. "This is the best present ever."

Everyone was quiet for a few moments before Dean finally couldn't stand the suspense any longer.

"Are you gonna tell us what it is, or what?"

She rolled her eyes with a grin. "I've been looking for a particular car for the past couple of years and Bobby finally found it for me."

"What car?" he asked with interest.

She grinned. "In 1967, Chevy made it's hundred millionth car. It was a blue, two door Caprice. I've wanted this car for a very long time."

"And how much are the owners asking for it?"  
>She snorted. "Too much."<p>

"You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

"Dean," Sam called with irritation.

She chuckled. "It's okay, Sam. He can ask. But I'm not telling him. All I'm gonna say is it's a lot of zeros."

Dean seemed satisfied with the answer since he didn't say anything more. And since he had noticed the waitress bringing his dessert, pie of course, he was more than happy to keep silent and eat.

Jessie waited until he'd finished his pie before she decided to make her announcement.

"Dean. Since your birthday was missed because of all the awful things that happened recently, I wanted you to know I didn't actually forget."

"Huh?" he said as he was trying to scrape what was left of the pie off the plate.

"I actually got something for you while we were on our last case."

"Got what?"

She smiled. "I found someone who was selling their ' 67 Impala for parts and I thought it would come in handy. I know you're always bitching about not having original parts."

His smiled immediately brightened, his eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

"Of course. It would've already been delivered to Bobby's if I hadn't been preoccupied the past week."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

"Thanks, Jessie," he replied with sincerity.

When she got up to pay the bill, Dean badgered Bobby about the price of the car she wanted. But no matter how many times he asked, he wasn't going to tell him. How much money she had, or was going to spend, was none of his business let alone Dean's. And even if Sam had asked, he would've said the same thing. It was her business to tell, not his.

When they were ready to leave, Sam let Bobby and his brother leave through the doors, while he stayed back with his wife.

"I'm sorry I forgot it was your birthday, Jess," he said as he pulled her into an embrace.

"It's okay, Sam. Really."

"I feel bad, though. Not only did I forget, but you paid for your own birthday dinner."

"No one twisted my arm to come here, Sam. It was my idea."

"I know, but—"

She pulled him close and began to kiss him so he wouldn't continue speaking. She was in a somewhat happy mood and she didn't want him to spoil it.

He was smiling happily as he pulled away. "We better get going or grumpy and grumpier are gonna get pissed."

She laughed, squeezing his butt for a quick moment before nearly running out the restaurant doors.

He was happy that she finally seemed to be returning to her old self. He'd felt lost not knowing how to help her. He only hoped that it was permanant and not an act, which he was afraid of. He knew she hated to feel weak and vulnerable. And he could tell she was still hurting. And if it was an act, he would hate to see what would happen when she finally couldn't keep it up any longer. But for now, he was going to try his best to stay positive.

He smiled happily before following her from the restaurant.

The next day, the trio finally found something to hunt. And since it was on the way, they stopped at Jessie's house to hang her birthday present before they continued on to their destination.

Their hunt only took them two days, since it was a very straightforward case. It was a ghost. They dug up its bones, salted and burned and then went on their way to their next case.

This trend pretty much continued for the next few weeks. Travelling from one case to another. Most of the cases involved ghosts, but they did manage to take out a small vampire nest two weeks in.

While Jessie knew they were trying to continue moving so they could keep away from Meg and any hunters who might be after her, the travelling was beginning to become too much for her. Each week she gained a tiny bit more weight. And each week the baby became much more active until it had begun to affect her sleep. Of course she never complained, or even mentioned her issues with either Sam or Dean. She didn't want them to make a fuss over her. Her viewpoint was, she'd been up against scary monsters of all sorts that would scare even the toughest person. And women had been getting pregnant and giving birth since the dawn of time, so she should be able to get through it as well.

It was nearly a month later when they finally returned to Sioux Falls. Bobby was happy to see everyone, however, he seemed a bit apprehensive as well. Jessie assumed he was worried because they could easily be found at his house, but she also wondered if there was another reason. She'd found him acting strangely towards her since the incident with the whiskey bottle cap. Not that she blamed him.

The only reason they'd come back was because she had to see her doctor. She hadn't been going once a month like she was supposed to. And since she was getting closer to the end of her pregnancy, she needed go. But if not for Dr. Riley calling Bobby and letting him know he was concerned, she might have waited a little while longer. She was not fond of seeing doctors for any reason.

Sam and Jessie were approaching her car when Dean came running out of the house behind them. They stopped and turned around, both of them glancing at him curiously.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I'm coming with you," he replied matter-of-factly.

She raised her eyebrow with surprise. "You want to come with me to my doctor's appointment?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"Should I make a list?" she replied with sarcasm. "I'm driving. In my car. With my music. And most of all, we're going to a doctor."

"I don't have anything better to do," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

She glanced at Sam for a moment, who only shrugged in response. He didn't seem worried, or concerned, yet something was telling her there was a good reason Dean wanted to accompany them.

She unlocked the door to her car and climbed in before the boys even opened their own doors. She sighed, assuming that his sudden need to follow them had something to do with Bobby. She had been in a decent mood, which was now sullied by whatever Dean's motivation was. However, she smiled at Sam when he sat next to her, before buckling up, putting the car into gear and driving away from Bobby's house.

It was a short drive to her doctor, so there was little time to dwell on the weirdness of their situation. However, she did find it funny in a strange way. The Winchester's on the way to a doctor's appointment, for Sam's pregnant wife. I bet they'd never thought that would ever happen in their lifetime. She definitely wouldn't have imagined it.

Since Jessie was the last appointment of the day, there was no one else in the waiting room when they arrived, only the nurse at the reception desk. She greeted them, asking them to sit and wait until the doctor was available.

She sat beside Sam with Dean sitting on the other side of her. She felt uncomfortable. At first she thought it was Dean's presence. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized there was more to it than that. She felt uneasy from the moment she'd walked into the building. She tried to ignore it, but to no avail. For some reason she wasn't able to shake the feeling so easily.

She was about to tell Sam she felt she needed to leave, when a couple walked out of the doctor's exam room with Dr. Riley following closely behind them. He smiled at them in his usual friendly way, waving them to follow.

"Where are you going?" Jessie asked as Dean began to follow.

"With you and Sam," he replied tersely.

"What?" she asked with surprise. "Inside the exam room?"

"Why not?"

"Dean. I don't think Jessie wants you to come in," Sam replied.

She snorted with amusement. She figured he'd be more uncomfortable than she would.

"It's okay, Sam," she said, lying her hand on his shoulder. "If your brother wants to he can."

He looked confused but followed her with no question into the exam room, his brother close behind.

It was only a routine exam. So after weighing her, which she threatened the doctor with bodily harm if he mentioned the numbers out loud, he took her blood pressure then had her hop onto the exam table.

"What was that?" she asked anxiously as the lights flickered for a moment, glancing at the brothers with worry.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's been happening on and off for a few hours now," the doctor replied absentmindedly while prodding her belly with his fingers.

She knew there was something wrong. It wasn't just a feeling. She was sure they were trapped by demons. And the look on Sam and Dean's faces, they seemed to be thinking the same exact thing. But for the doctor's sake, she smiled and pretended nothing was wrong while he checked her heart and then the baby's heartbeat.

"That's awesome," Dean said with a grin as the doctor removed the fetal doppler stethoscope.

Sam beamed proudly, but his mind was preoccupied.

Once the doctor had left into the back room, Jessie climbed off the table, gazing at the boys with an anxious look.

"I think we should leave before he comes out of his room," she stated. "I don't want him to get hurt."

"Aren't you being a little hasty?" Dean asked as he stood up from his chair. "We don't even know if there's anything to worry about."

"He's right, Jess," Sam replied as he stood up. "You shouldn't worry for nothing."

"For nothing? Seriously?" she said with irritation. "Why did you come with us, Dean?"

"I was curious," he replied quickly.

"Right. And you're gonna pretend the lights flickering was nothing."

He ignored what she said, turning to his brother with a knowing look.

"Stay here, Jess," Sam said as he pulled Ruby's knife from inside his jacket.

"No," she replied adamantly. "I'm not staying here."

"Will you just listen to him for once," Dean said with irritation. "If there's demons out there, we'll take care of them."

"No."

"Dammit, Jess!" Dean said with frustration. "Sam's been distracted enough lately without having you in harm's way."

Sam shot him an angry look.

"What? I've been in harm's way a lot lately," she replied with confusion.

He shook his head with frustration. "Forget it."

"Dean—"

"She's not gonna listen, Sammy."

"But—"

"Let's go, Sam."

He glanced at his brother pleadingly, who just turned away, removing his gun from his jacket.

"Jess. Please stay here," Sam begged.

She sighed, shaking her head in refusal.

"I'll be right behind you," she said, pulling out her own gun before closing the door to Dr. Riley's office and putting a chair against it so he couldn't open it. She had to make sure he'd be safe before following the boys out of the exam room.

The boys stepped into the waiting room with hesitation, scanning the area quickly, their weapons poised and ready. They didn't see anyone—or anything—in the room. It was empty.

The two men kept their weapons poised, shooting each other an uneasy look as Jessie stopped behind them. No one uttered a word, but their eyes spoke volumes.

They began to walk swiftly through the waiting room heading towards the only exit. Dean in the lead, Sam following close behind, while Jessie was behind him. They had only made it half way through the room when the lights began to flicker again.

"Get back, Jess!" Sam yelled as Meg and two other demons came in to view.

Before Dean could even pull the trigger of his gun, Meg waved her hand lazily, sending both brothers flying against the wall, unable to move.

Jessie backed up a few steps as Meg and the demons crept closer, standing her ground as bravely and defiantly as she could, regardless of the immense amount of fear she was feeling.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a wonderful surprise," Meg said with a sinister grin.

She glanced at each of the brothers before her eyes fell upon Jessie, her grin lessening just slightly.

"You can't imagine how difficult it's been to finally catch up with you. Especially in some place where it would be easy to set a trap for you."

"You call this a trap?" she asked defiantly. "You and three demons. Hardly anything to worry about."

She laughed evilly. "You say that, yet your two heroes are pinned against the wall and helpless."

"Maybe. But I'm not helpless."

"You?" she replied with a laugh. "What do you think you can do?"

"After what you did to my friend, you'd be surprised," she replied furiously.

She smiled malevolently, stepping closer to Jessie, the brothers yelling their protests, which she ignored.

"What's going on?" Meg asked furiously, stopping short.

"What?" she replied in confusion.

The demon glanced at the brothers shrewdly for a moment before turning her attention back to Jessie.

"My demon powers aren't working on you. Why?"

She shrugged, speaking as convincingly as she could. "How the hell would I know?"

The demon narrowed her eyes in suspicion and anger.

"Then we'll just have to do this the hard way," she replied, glaring at her demon companions. "Grab her. Both of you."

"No! Leave her alone!" Sam yelled.

The two demons began to approach her, when suddenly the lights went out, making the room completely dark, not even a hint of light anywhere.

Jessie was afraid to move, she couldn't see at all. And when she suddenly heard the demons scream in agony, she became even more paralized in fear. But she had little time to worry. An instant later the lights came back on.

She blinked her eyes quickly a couple of times, the brightness stinging her eyes. Once she could see again, she noticed that Meg was no longer standing in front of her. Instead, Crowley was standing in her place, grinning mirthlessly.

"Didn't I warn you to be careful," he said with irritation.

She ignored him, instead gazing at the floor where the Winchesters were lying.

"What did you do to them?" she asked furiously.

"They're only knocked out. I didn't want them to know what happened."

"What did happen?"

"I managed to get two of her accomplices, but the whore got away."

"You let her get away!"

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Be mindful of the way you speak to me, my dear."

She knew he was dangerous. But she also knew he still needed her for something and he needed her unharmed. That didn't mean she wasn't afraid. At any moment he could decide he didn't need her any longer and then he would make her pay. And she was afraid to find out what exactly he would do. He was the King of Hell after all. She had to continue playing along for the time being.

She gazed at him fearfully. "Sorry."

He grinned with amusement. "Good. You know your place. Just because I can't use the majority of my demon powers against you does not mean I can't hurt you. Don't forget who you're speaking to."

The best way to keep herself from snapping or saying something else he wouldn't like, was to run over to Sam and check on him. She kneeled on the floor beside him, lifting his head into her lap. Gazing at him helplessly, she brushed his face lightly with her fingertips, calling his name. She turned for a moment to glance in Dean's direction when she heard him moan, noticing that Crowley was now gone, sighing in relief.

She called Sam's name a few more times before lying his head gently on the floor and heading over to check on Dean. His eyes opening the moment she called him, so she helped him into a sitting position.

"Damn my head hurts," he said, resting a hand on the side of his head. "How's Sam?"

"He's still unconscious," she replied.

"What?" he said with distress, glancing in his brother's direction.

She rested her hand on his shoulder. "Don't move, Dean. I'll check on him," she said reassuringly.

She made sure he wasn't going to move before returning to Sam's side. He moaned lightly as she lifted his head into her lap once again. She called his name gently until his eyes slowly fluttered open, finding her eyes immediately.

"What happened?" he asked weakly.

"Don't worry about that right now. We can discuss that when we get back to Bobby's house."

Her response did not put him at ease. Instead, it made him worry more. But his head felt like it had been split open so he wasn't about to argue with her. Instead, he allowed her to help him into a sitting position, where he passed a worrisome look to his brother.

After she was sure the brothers were fine, she went to find the doctor. He wasn't happy that he'd been locked in his back room. But when he found out why, he was glad he had been. She was just relieved he was unharmed and that he believed her. It was one of the reasons Bobby had always dealt with him. He knew about the supernatural as well.

The doctor wouldn't allow the Winchesters to leave without a quick examination. They balked, but went along with it. They were fine. But the doctor obviously wanted to soothe his own piece of mind. And once he was sure they were fine, they quickly left the office, heading back to Bobby's.

**A/N: I should've had this up a couple of days ago but I got busy. Hopefully you think it was worth waiting for. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

She'd had her chance, and she'd lost it.

Once Jessie had known Sam and Dean were fine, it was all that was running through her head over and over again on the drive back to Bobby's. She'd had the chance to hurt Meg and she missed it. And the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She didn't even want to talk to either of the brothers, completely ignoring them during the entire drive. With her rage beginning to boil, she needed to keep her mouth shut. Besides, she'd already told them she'd explain what happened once they were back at Bobby's. She didn't want to repeat herself.

Bobby was outside waiting for them as the car pulled into the driveway. Jessie could see the deep look of concern on his face, it made him seem much older than he was. She knew it was only going to get worse. And she was afraid his suspicion was going to increase as well. But there was no way to help that now. She'd screwed up once, which was all it had taken. She had to make this story believeable without seeming like she was leaving details out. That was going to be the real challenge. Bobby was much smarter than many people gave him credit for. And much more intuitive.

She stormed past Bobby and into the house without a word or a glance. When she reached the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of milk, consuming it quickly. She was shaking inwardly with rage and all she wanted was an alcoholic drink. She wanted to drown herself in it. But she couldn't and she wasn't sure how to handle the urge. Not this time.

She had just slammed her glass on the counter when the boys, followed by Bobby, walked into the kitchen, all of them gazing at her expectationally. She wondered who was going to be the first one to ask her what had happened. But as strong as her curiosity was, she decided to speak first. She didn't want them to be any more suspcious of her.

"It was, Crowley," she stated matter-of-factly.

"What was Crowley?" Bobby asked quickly.

"He's the one who saved us from Meg."

"What? Why?"

"Apparently, she'd set a trap for us and he set a trap for her."

"Does that mean he got her?" Dean asked hopefully.

"No," she replied with obvious disappointment. "He got her lackeys, but she managed to escape."

"That's just great," he replied.

She noticed Sam's look of concern before he attempted to hide it from her. It made her feel worse about everything.

"I'm confused, Jess," Bobby said as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Why did Crowley just leave? Why'd he let you go?"

She shrugged. "I've told you before, I have no idea what he wants from me. All I know is he doesn't want Meg to get a hold of me. Maybe that's why he's left me alone. Maybe he figures he can use me as bait to flush her out."

"You really think it's as simple as that?"

"I don't know, Bobby. All that matters to me is that I'm here and not with demons."

He nodded in agreement before sitting down at the kitchen table with his beer.

"I have another question," Dean said, everyone turning to gaze at him curiously. "What happened with Meg? How come her demon powers didn't work on you?"

It was the question she'd been dreading, yet she knew it was inevitable. She didn't even know what to say. His question was accusatory. But her heart sank a little when Sam glared at his brother. He still seemed to believe in her, even when his brother had his doubts. She had to come up with something believeable. And quickly.

"Wait. What?" Bobby interrupted before she had a chance to respond. "Meg's powers didn't work on you?"

"That's what she said," she replied, trying to avoid a straight answer for as long as possible.

He glanced curiously at each of the boys before turning back to her once again.

"Why do you think that is?"

She wasn't sure, but his tone seemed slightly accusatory as well. It made her feel even worse than Sam believing in her.

"How should I know?" she replied, trying her best not to sound defensive.

"I don't know, Jess. But it seems like you know more than you're saying."

"Bobby!" Sam said with a stern look.

"It's okay, Sam," she interrupted calmly. "I understand why Bobby has his doubts. After all, it wasn't all that long ago that none of you trusted me."

The three men looked uneasy for a few moments before Bobby once again spoke up.

"I never said I didn't trust you."

"I know, Bobby," she lied.

She had a feeling he didn't completely trust her. At the least, he knew she was hiding something.

"But you have an idea, don't you?" he asked.

She sighed, more for show than any other reason. She'd finally come up with a story she hoped they would all believe. At the least it was completely plausible. She just hoped she was convincing enough.

"I do," she said with a nod. "I think it's the baby."

"The baby?" he asked questioningly.

"Well, he is supposed to be powerful. What if it's because of him."

The looks between the brothers looked promising, but Bobby still seemed to be skeptical. She was positive he was thinking about the bottle cap incident. There was no way she'd be able to explain that away by blaming it on the baby. If she wouldn't believe it, she knew no one else would either. At the very least, being protected by the baby because of his blood was a stretch, but not completely preposterous. And since no one knew exactly how powerful he would be, no one could completely deny it was a possibility. She just wished she could have been more convincing. But if she tried too hard, he would definitely know something was going on—and she couldn't take that chance.

"I suppose that's possible," he said with a note of finality.

As her eyes searched for Sam's, she noticed Dean eyeing her strangely. She wasn't quite sure what his expression meant, but she figured it was nothing good.

"I'm gonna go lay down," she said to no one in particular.

She had hoped that Sam would follow her up to their bedroom, but he didn't. She wasn't really tired, just drained from the encounter with Meg. After finally making herself comfortable, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Jessie felt a little disoriented when she awoke from her nap. She wasn't quite sure how long she'd slept for, or what time it was. But after she looked at her watch and realized she'd only been asleep for an hour, she felt a little better. After using the bathroom, she headed downstairs to look for Sam.

Out of habit, she climbed down the stairs as quietly as possible, avoiding any spot that would make a creaking sound, heading towards the kitchen where she heard the sound of voices. When she arrived outside the door, she heard Dean and Bobby talking. She knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, but she couldn't help herself.

"Now that Sam's gone, are you gonna tell me what's going on Bobby?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dean."

"Right. You're gonna sit there and lie to me."

There was a short silence for a few moments before Bobby replied.

"I think Jessie knows more than she's letting on about all of this."

"Why would _you_ say that Bobby? Of all people."

"I've known her long enough to know when she's hiding something. I thought maybe it was nothing. But after today, I'm not so sure."

"You don't believe her explanation?"

"It's not that I don't..." he replied, trailing off.

"What is it, Bobby?"

"Nothing for you to worry about kid."

"It doesn't sound like nothing."

"Just keep an eye on her, Dean. Your brother's completely oblivious when it comes to her. Look how angry he got when I suggested she might know something more about what's going on."

"But was he angry at us, or himself?

The silenced that followed Dean's rhetorical question was Jessie's cue to walk in. She didn't want to because she wanted to continue listening, to see if Bobby would elaborate on his suspicions more than he had. But she knew if she listened any longer, her anger would overtake her rationality, and she couldn't allow that to happen. At least not now. And definitely not in front of Bobby. She figured he'd probably already put two and two together, but he didn't like the math.

She walked into the kitchen as casually as possible greeting them lazily. Both men looked slightly uncomfortable, but she pretended not to notice.

"Where's Sam?"

Dean glanced at Bobby, expecting him to answer.

"He went to get some food," Bobby replied nonchalantly.

She knew from Dean's uneasy look and Bobby's quick answer that they were both wondering if she'd heard their discussion.

"Okay. I guess I'll grab my laptop and go back upstairs then," she replied.

She took a few steps towards the kitchen before clutching her stomach abruptly releasing a quiet groan of pain.

"What's wrong?" Bobby asked as he made his way up from the kitchen table to her side swiftly.

"I dunno," she replied through heavy breathing.

"Dean. Call Doctor Riley. Tell him to come immediately."

"I'm fine, Bobby," she said as she rubbed her belly. "The pain is gone."

"I don't care if you feel fine, young lady. You need to be looked at."

She sighed in annoyance, but allowed him to lead her into the livingroom, helping her ease onto the couch. He hovered nearby, pacing back and forth with worry until the doorbell rang.

The doctor kicked the men out of the livingroom so he could examine her. And when he was done, he met them in the kitchen to explain his diagnosis. By this time, Sam had returned.

"You have nothing to worry about. She's gonna be fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Sam with concern. "What's wrong with her?"

The doctor smiled supportively.

"She just had some Braxton Hicks contractions. They're completely normal and nothing to worry about."

"Does that mean she's gonna have the baby soon?"

"Not at all, Sam," he replied with a hint of a smile. "Braxton Hicks are normal and can occur at almost any time throughout a pregnancy. She may have already had some minor ones already and never noticed. But after today's excitement, well, I'm not surprised. Just have her take it easy today, just in case."

"Thanks again, doc," Bobby said as he shook his hand.

After the doctor left, Sam stayed at his wife's side for the rest of the day, much to her chagrin. Although she was happy to spend time with him, she drew the line at allowing him to follow her into the bathroom. And because of this attention, she was unable to visit the shed that day. But for once, she was able to resist that particular urge and push it from her mind. She wasn't sure if it was just simply because she was tired, or because she had been worried about the baby. No matter the reason, she slept well that night regardless.

It was much later in the morning than usual when Jessie finally woke up and began her morning routine. And when she finally made it into the kitchen, her breakfast was waiting for her—two eggs, bacon and a piece of toast.

Once she got over the surprise of having breakfast ready for her, she realized there was a palpable tension in the room. Each of the three men were quiet—almost too quiet. And by the looks on their faces, she was sure they'd been arguing about something, and she didn't like it.

"What's going on?" she demanded, glancing at each of the men in turn, stopping to glare at Bobby.

She knew neither of the Winchesters would answer her if he'd told them not to.

"We've been talking, and we all agree that you need to get away from here for a while," he replied without hesitation.

"Who exactly is, we?"

He rolled his eyes slightly. "All of us."

"Except me," she replied, crossing her arms across her chest defiantly. "I just got back."

"It's not safe here right now."

"Says who?"

"Are you kidding?" Dean interjected. "We got attacked by Meg yesterday and you think it's safe here?"  
>She didn't think that either of them were wrong. However, she didn't want them to continue making decisions for her. Especially after the conversation she'd eavesdropped on the day before. But at the same time, it would be easier to keep them in the dark if she wasn't being watched by both Dean and Bobby.<p>

"I never said that, Dean. I just hate it when people make decisions without including me."

The three men shifted around uncomfortably for a moment. None of them had expected her answer.

"But I supposed you're probably right. We should probably leave for a few days at least."

The men cast curious glances at each other, but that was all she noticed as she turned on her heel and left the room without waiting for a reply from any of them.

She was having a difficult time keeping it together. She was tired of the travelling, and the demons, and the men making decisions for her. Of course, she was also angry at herself for getting into the mess she was in. On top of it was the usual pregnancy symptoms, which some days bothered her more than others. This was one of those days she was bothered. She didn't know if it had anything to do with not having demon blood the day before, but she had to blame it on something. It was easier that way.

She reluctantly packed up and left with the Winchesters in the Impala a few hours later.

The next few days were not easy for anyone.

Jessie was miserable. And the only targets for her anger and frustration were two of the three people who cared about her most in the world, Sam and Dean. As much as she tried not to snap at them, she found herself doing it much more than she knew she should. She was also finding it increasingly difficult to stop herself once she'd began.

It was almost impossible for her to be alone long enough to contact Crowley for more demon blood. And as much as she hated to admit it to herself, she needed it. It was the main source of her frustrations. She'd always wondered what being addicted to a drug was like and why it was so hard to just quit. But now she knew all too well. And as much as she was suffering, there was more to it. She knew her son was suffering as well. He seemed much more active than usual, which was only another reason why she was upset. She already had a difficult time sleeping without him constantly kicking her. Now it was almost impossible.

The fourth day after leaving Bobby's house was the worst of all of them. She'd managed to get blood the day they had arrived in some little town she couldn't remember the name of. But it had been three days since either of the boys had left her alone. Which meant three days without it. It was the longest she'd gone without it since early in her pregnancy. Between being completely exhausted, she was also jittery. It didn't make for a very good combination.

On the fifth day, she couldn't handle it any longer. No matter how difficult it was, she knew she had to get away from her chaperones. If she didn't, she felt like she was going to lose her mind. Normally she might have been able to come up with some excuse to at least get a couple of minutes away. But her mind was not thinking clearly anymore.

It was mid afternoon when Sam went out to grab some lunch, either neglecting the fact that Dean was in the shower, or not caring.

The second she knew the car was no longer within eyeshot, she grabbed her phone and hurried from the room quietly, heading around to the other side of the motel.

There was only a small courtyard that faced the back of an apartment building, so no way for anyone on the road to see her. It seemed secluded. Which was perfect for her needs.

The phone was dialing when she felt someone slide up behind her, taking the phone from her hands before she even had a chance to react. She turned around to see who it was, instinctively placing her hand on her waistband, cradling the butt of her gun in her palm. But the moment she saw their face, she dropped her hand, glaring at them with a steely gaze.

"Give my phone back, Dean!" she demanded, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Who were you trying to call?" he asked suspiciously, glancing at the screen of her phone. "Who is C?"

"No one you know. Now give it back."

He narrowed his eyes supiciously. "Crowley? You're not calling Crowley, are you?"

"What? Why the hell would you think I'd be calling him?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe because you've been acting suspiciously for a long time now."

She knew he was right of course, but she definitely couldn't let on. However, she wasn't thinking clearly enough to talk herself out of it, at least not very convincingly. At this point, she didn't really know what to say. But then it suddenly came to her.

She sighed exaggeratedly. "Fine. I wasn't going to tell anyone, but, his name is Chad."

"Who is Chad?" he demanded.

"A couple weeks ago, I found some pictures of me in a news article online. They were recent pictures. Pictures of my pregnant belly with a stupid headline about the reason why I went into hiding after the TV show."

"And?"

She rolled her eyes in irritation. "I hacked into the website and took it down. But the next day there were new pictures. So I found out who the paparazzi was that took them and began feeding him fake leads to where I would be."

"And this is why you've been acting so crazy?" he asked in disbelief.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you really that short-sighted, Dean?"

He gazed at her in surprise.

"Think about it. Some guy managed to find me to take pictures of me, more than once. And you don't see how that could be a problem? Have you forgotten there are hunters on the look out for me as well as demons?"

His expression changed to understanding in an instant. "Why didn't you just tell me—or Sam?"

"Because I can take care of things myself. I don't always need you or your brother to _save_ me. I'm not a damsel in distress."

He seemed somewhat satisifed, but he was still curious.

"And how long do you think fake leads are gonna work?"

"They didn't for long. So I had to promise to pay him more than he would get for his photographs."

"What? Why would you do that?"

"Don't worry about what I do with my money, Dean. I needed him to stop following me and he has."

"And how do you know some hunter won't offer him more money to find out your whereabouts?"

She snorted. "First of all, he doesn't know where I am at the moment. And secondly, there is no hunter who could offer him more money than I can."

He was mostly satisfied with her explanation, although deep inside he still had his suspicions. But so she wouldn't realize that he only half believed her, he '_accidentally_' dialed the number as he was about to hand it to her, glancing at it quickly so he could memorize the number. He would check it out later when he had a chance.

She took the phone from him, glad that Crowley was smart enough to never answer the phone until she spoke first. She had no idea what excuse she could use if he had found out. But that was the least of her problems now, since she figured Dean would be out of her hair, yet wouldn't let her out of his sight again. She needed to find a way to contact Crowley and get her hands on some blood.

The instant Sam got back to the motel room, Dean made a point of telling him what had happened. And just like she suspected, he was upset and disappointed, but didn't seem at all suspicious.

Of course she still had to deal with the constant nagging craving for blood. And it wasn't easy. It was all she could think about. And although Sam wasn't suspicious about her phone call, he did seem to notice how distracted and jumpy she was. He was becoming more and more worried about her and that wasn't helping things at all. He was constantly asking her if she was okay, and it was driving her nuts. As well as almost never taking his eyes off of her.

After a verbal blow up about something innocent, Dean took Sam outside to chat about Jessie's attitude.

She began thinking of ways to get away from them when a female member of the motel housekeeping staff walked in with a pile of towels. She knew the boys were just outside, but she was still surprised they had allowed her to come in.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" the women asked impatiently. "Come take these towels from me."

Jessie stood up from the couch, looking at the woman with irritation. She'd never been talked to like that from any motel housekeeping staff. But then she noticed the smell a moment later. She couldn't mistake the smell of sulphur.

"Who...?"

"Who do you think?" the woman interrupted.

"Crowley?" she asked with surprise.

She didn't respond, instead approached her with the towels and handed them to her.

Jessie couldn't help but grin a little as she thought about Crowley in this tiny woman's body. But her grin only lasted a moment before it turned to shock and dismay.

"You need to get the hell out of here Crowley—and fast. What the hell were you thinking?"

The woman's face glared at her. "I was thinking that you needed what I have hiding in those towels."

She tried not to look desperate as she stuck her hand inside the pile, fishing out a small thermos. But it was difficult not to. She needed the blood so badly, all rational thought had nearly left her mind.

The tiny woman sighed. "Get your ass into the bathroom and do what you need to do before your boys come back in here and discover you. And for crying out loud, do something about Dean, or you're going to have a serious problem."

She was staring at the thermos as the woman spoke, listening, but barely comprehending. By the time she did, she glanced over to notice the woman was gone. Crowley was gone. She didn't even have time to ask what he meant about Dean.

A moment later, she hurriedly ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind her, haphazardly throwing the towels on the counter beside the sink. She wasted no time draining the entire contents of the thermos, barely taking a breath while she did. Even only a few seconds later she began to feel the familiar warming sensation pass through her and her anxiousness begin to ebb away.

Once her mind was clear, she realized she needed to enact some damage control. The first thing she did was hide the thermos in the back of the cupboard under the sink in the bathroom. She hoped she would get a chance to move it from there later. And although she was pretty sure the boys would never look under there, she didn't want to take that chance if she didn't have to. Either way, it was tucked under one of the towels Crowley had brought.

The second part of her plan was to get the boys away from the apartment in hopes the smell of the sulphur would dissipate. Or at the very least, weaken enough so they would suspect whatever demon had stopped by had done so when they weren't around. However, as she was trying to think of an excuse to get them away from the apartment, she heard them come in, immediately calling her name with concern.

"I'm in the bathroom," she yelled nonchalantly, tidying up the pile of towels on the counter.

The boys were standing right in front of the door when she opened it moments later, both gazing at her with concern.

"What's going on?" she asked.

The brothers traded curious glances with each other.

"Don't you smell that?" Dean asked with disbelief.

The smell was no longer overwhelming, but it was still noticeable.

"Sulphur," she replied with slight surprise.

Dean glanced at his brother again with an eyebrow raised, but he wasn't paying attention, he was too focused on his worry for his wife.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, placing her hand on his arm reassuringly. "I'm fine."

"So a demon came in here and you never noticed?" Dean asked accusingly. "How is that?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but it was Sam who replied first.

"Dean, I've had enough of this," he said strongly. "What exactly do you think Jessie is doing? Inviting a demon into the apartment while we were right outside? Are you serious?"

"Sam," she said, squeezing his arm gently. "It's okay."

"No. It's not okay," he said, shaking his head firmly. "Dean's been overly suspicious of you for too long and I've had enough."

She felt a twinge of guilt run through her. She knew he was wrong and Dean was right, so it was difficult for her to stand between them and say otherwise. But her mind was at least thinking clearly enough to think of a way to stop the arguing, if only for the moment.

"Look, I'm sick of the two of you arguing over me. I'm sorry I've been so difficult, I'm just feeling... like I want to crawl out of my skin sometimes. Being near the end of my pregnancy is no picnic. I just want it to be over already."

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm not buying this anymore. Something more is going on with you and I'm not just going to give up on it so easily."

"Dean," Sam called with warning.

"It's okay, Sam. I don't want you fighting with your brother. Let him believe what he wants. All I want is for this case to be over so we can get out of here."

He nodded in agreement before shooting a warning glance at his brother.

"I couldn't agree more," Dean replied with slight sarcasm. "I want this case over, too."

It was awkwardly silent for the next few hours while everyone continued researching the case they were working on. The only time anyone actually spoke was when it was absolutely necessary. Although occasionally there were glances exchanged, it remained silent. Even up until it was time to go to sleep.

Jessie had the best sleep she'd had in many nights. She was able to fall asleep quickly, and actually stay asleep the entire six hours. There were no cravings to deal with and the baby seemed to be moving around much less violently than he had been. Even the anxiety she had about Dean didn't seem to stop her for once. She only hoped that boded well for the rest of the day.

Dean on the other hand had not slept much at all. And what little bit he did was not peaceful. He was positive now more than ever that something was going on. And he intended to find out what it was. He really liked Jessie. But if she was doing something that was going to screw his brother over, well, he couldn't let that happen. He needed to get to the bottom of it. He just felt he needed to be a bit more subtle about it. Although he thought it might already be too late for that. They both knew how he felt.

After a very quiet morning, they had a break through on their case. The three of them headed out in the Impala to do some surveillance. They were only there for an hour when they caught a break. Unfortunately they had to leave Jessie behind while they followed up on their lead. But she promised to only stray as far as the little coffeeshop half a block down from where they had parked.

For the most part she kept her promise, sitting in the coffeshop having some coffee and a sandwich. She hadn't intended to leave, but then something happened that was completely out of her control. She began to feel cramping in her stomach again, only this time stronger than she'd ever felt.

Doing her best to speak while she was feeling such intense pain, she managed to ask the staff to call her a cab so she could go to the hospital. Instead, they panicked and called an ambulance, which showed up much quicker than she'd anticipated. She barely had a moment to send a text to Sam before they loaded her into the ambulance and drove her to the hospital.

**A/N: So sorry it has taken me so very long to update. I've had computer problems, which should finally be resolved very soon. And a bit of writer's block. I'm still fighting with it a bit, but for the most part I know where the next chapter or 2 are going so hopefully it will not take me as long as this last one did. **

**As always, thanks for reading!**


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Jessie was resting comfortably in a hospital bed when Sam swept into the room. His forehead was deeply wrinkled and his eyes appeared sunken, but he smiled supportively as he took his wife's hand, sliding the nearby chair closer to the bed before sitting down.

"How are you feeling?" he asked anxiously.

It had been more than six hours since she'd been admitted to the hospital. In that time she'd found out she was in preterm labor and they had to give her drugs to stop it. Sam hadn't been allowed to see her until they had managed to get the contractions under control, which had only happened in the past hour.

"I'm better now that you're here," she replied with a weak smile.

He brushed his free hand through her hair, which was damp from sweat.

"You look so tired," he said sadly.

She nodded her head lightly, but didn't speak.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

She nodded again before lying back on the bed and closing her eyes.

Sam sighed lightly, running his hands in frustration through his hair before leaving the room. He stopped just outside the door, where Dean had been waiting for him.

"How's she doing?"

He shrugged. "She's tired."

"I'm sorry, Sam," he said, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.

His first reaction was anger, since it had only been hours before that his brother had accused his wife of suspicious behaviour. But one glance told him that Dean was being completely sincere. And he just didn't have the energy to argue with him at the moment.

"I know you are, Dean," he replied quietly.

The brothers stood silently for a few short moments before Sam shook himself out of self pity and began to look for some answers about his wife's condition. He couldn't just stand by and wait for the doctor to show up. It wasn't his style. He needed answers. Now.

Sam swept into Jessie's room a few hours later. Her eyes were closed when he first walked in, but they opened the moment he moved close to the bed.

"Hi," she greeted him quietly with a light smile.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asked with concern as he sat down beside her and took her hand.

"Yeah. Better now that I've had some rest."

"I talked to your doctor. He said that you've been reacting well to the medication and if you can be contraction free for twenty four hours then you're free to go home."

"I gotta stay another day?" she asked with disappointment.

"Yeah," he replied regretfully.

"How did the case go?"

"Uh, um, it went fine," he replied evasively.

"Sam?"

"Don't worry about it, Jess. It's taken care of."

She wanted to know more, but she was too exhausted to worry about it at the moment. The last twelve hours had been difficult for her and she had twenty four more before she could even leave. She didn't want to stress herself out and end up having to stay even longer. It was still a bit too early for the baby to be born. The safety of the baby was already in question. She couldn't imagine how difficult it would be if he was born premature on top of it all. She needed to do all the she could to keep that from happening. Even if that meant resting for an entire day.

"Okay," she replied. "I won't worry at all."

"Good," he said with a smile.

"It's late. You should get some rest, too," she suggested.

He nodded. "I will. I'm just gonna talk to Dean and then I'll be back."

"Good," she said with a teasing smile.

He smiled back, happy to see her in good enough spirits to tease him. It was a good sign.

When he headed back into the hallway, he was greeted by Castiel. He was surprised to see him, but acted as nonchalantly as possible.

"I called him," Dean said, before Sam could get the question out.

"Dean thought I should be here to protect Jessie," Cas said.

"That was—nice of you," he replied distractedly.

"Is everything okay, Sam?"

"Yeah, Dean. I'm just tired. I'm gonna go sit beside Jessie's bed and try and get some rest."

He didn't even wait for his brother to respond. He turned on his heel quickly and headed back into her room. He was greeted by a smile as he sat down beside her, which he returned as he took her hand. They talked for a short time before she decided to try and get some more sleep. He used the same time to relax in the chair and try to rest himself, although his mind was all over the place. He was worried about his wife and son. But he couldn't ignore the things his brother had been saying any longer. As much as he wanted to ignore all the signs, he knew his brother wasn't being vindictive. He had proved how much he cared about the welfare of his wife just by calling the angel. So as much as he hated to even think about it, he had to at least realize there was a possibility she was keeping something from him. He truly hoped that wasn't the case. But either way, he couldn't confront her about it now. Not in her condition. And now he wondered if he would be able to at all in the next few weeks. He had to think about the well being of his son as well as hers.

Several hours later, Jessie woke up to find her room empty. Sam was no longer sleeping in the chair beside her and there were no nurses or hospital staff of any sort. However, she felt like she was being watched somehow. It was only a feeling, but she couldn't shake it. It was a few moments later when she realized why she felt that way. She was being watching silently.

"Castiel," she said with surprise.

"Hello, Jessie," he greeted her. "How are you feeling?"

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Better than I was yesterday."

"Good," he replied tersely.

His following silence made her uncomfortable.

"Is there something you needed?" she asked.

"No. I just came to check on you. Sam and Dean needed some rest."

"I see," she replied, hoping it would be the end of their conversation. But then she realized she had another question for him.

"How come you didn't help me if you were here?"

He studied her face for a moment before responding.

"Normally it is something I could assist with. However, there is nothing I can do for you."

"What? Why is that?"

"Your son is very powerful. I doubt I would even be able to get near him at this point."

She thought his tone sounded accusatory.

"Are you fishing for something?" she asked suspiciously.

He gazed at her with confusion. "Why would I be trying to fish here? There is no water."

Although she was a bit irritated with the angel, she couldn't help but smile in amusement for a brief moment.

"What I mean is, is there something you want to ask me?"

He gazed at her pensively for a few moments. "I am curious about your son. However, I am positive you wouldn't know the answer to my question anymore than I do."

She decided to leave it at that. He didn't seem to suspect anything, so keeping her mouth shut was in her best interest.

While it was nice to know she was safe from Meg with the angel around. It also meant she wasn't going to be able to get near Crowley. And she knew she was going to need his blood sooner rather than later. She was already starting to feel that familiar need at the back of her mind. And she wasn't sure she wanted the baby to feel stressed out anymore than he already was. She couldn't risk being stuck in the hospital until she gave birth. But she was stuck for now. So she decided the best thing to do for now would be to rest.

Sam was unable to sleep very long once he finally did fall asleep, but he did manage two hours of uninterrupted sleep. That was enough for him, although his brother thought otherwise. But even if he had wanted to sleep longer, he just couldn't. Between the worry for his son and wife and now the doubts that had been clouding his mind. There was no way he was going to have a decent, restful sleep any time soon. And instead of torturing himself by attempting to sleep, he decided to head back to Jessie's hospital room.

When he walked through the threshold of her room, he was greeted by a strange scene. Castiel was sitting on the opposite end of the bed from his wife and they were playing cards together.

"Hi," she greeted him with a bright smile. "I'm teaching Cas how to play poker."

"Hello, Sam," the angel greeted him.

He smiled warmly at his wife before chuckling slightly and nodding to Cas in acknowledgement.

"This is probably the last thing I would've expected before walking in here."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "It's much less creepy than having him stand in the corner and stare at me all the time." She glanced at the angel apologetically. "Sorry."

"No apology necessary," he replied tersely.

"Did you sleep?" she asked him with concern as he took a seat in the chair beside the bed.

"Yes."

"How long?" she asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry about me. You should be worrying about yourself," he replied, trying to avoid answering her question.

"I'm doing fine, Sam. In fact, I should be able to leave in a few hours. But how I am supposed to relax once I leave here if I'm worried you're going to pass out from exhaustion?"

She hadn't wanted to use guilt against him, but she felt it was necessary. She knew how stubborn he could be.

He seemed to ponder that for a moment. "I tried, Jess. I'll be able to sleep better once you're out of here."

She wanted to push the issue, but soon decided it wouldn't be worth it. She knew if the situation was reversed she wouldn't be able to sleep either.

Moments later, Castiel made an excuse before disappearing from the room.

"I guess you'll have to play cards with me now," she said with a grin, offering him the deck of cards.

He returned her grin. "Not what I usually have in mind when I'm in bed with a pretty woman."

She chuckled. "This will just have to do for now."

He leaned in, kissing her gently.

"I love you, Jessie," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you, too, Sam," she replied, smiling at him lovingly.

Several hours later, Dean, Sam and Jessie were riding in the Impala after Jessie had been given a clear bill of health and released with numerous instructions on how to take care of herself.

And while Jessie was happy to be out of the hospital. It was the instructions she had an issue with. She didn't mind having to rest. But not being able to do anything strenuous meant no hunting. In fact, she'd been told in no uncertain terms that even lifting laundry baskets, or sweeping a floor could be too much for her at this point. Which meant she was going to be bored out of her skull. She could only read so many books and play so much online poker. She had a feeling she was going to have to do some hacking just so she wouldn't go out of her mind. She was not looking forward to the next few weeks at all.

It took some convincing, but they headed to Jessie's house after they left the hospital, with many stops for bathroom breaks and meals in between. Neither Sam nor Dean wanted to take any chances with her health. They only stayed one night, with the boys helping her pack the stuff she wanted to take to Bobby's since they wouldn't allow her to do anything herself. And by the morning, she'd already had enough of their overprotective attitudes. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. And she knew the worst was yet to come. She knew Bobby would be even more overprotective than they were. She wasn't looking forward to any of it.

As the Impala pulled into Bobby's driveway, Jessie immediately noticed the iron fence that was now surrounding Bobby's house. It was short, but it went completely around the house. However, from her vantage point in the car, she also noticed it was only around the house and not his entire yard. She was pleased that the shed Crowley had been hiding her stash in was not inside this fence. She was going to need to see him soon, and she didn't need anymore complications than she already had.

Bobby approached the car as it stopped and proceeded to assist Jessie while the boys unloaded all of the bags. And even though she told him she was fine to walk into the house all on her own, he wouldn't hear of it. The concern in his eyes was more than enough reason to allow him to help her inside the house without an argument—this one time. She definitely didn't want him making a habit of it.

Bobby helped her to the couch, where he had several pillows waiting for her. He helped her sit, making sure she put her feet up on the table in front of her, which also had a pillow waiting for her. She smiled thankfully, sighing lightly once he'd left the room. 'This is going to be a long couple of weeks,' she said to herself.

Jessie spent the entire day on the couch with her feet up while the three men waited on her. It wasn't so bad, but she was positive she couldn't deal with this for a long period of time. She had never been one to just lounge around doing nothing. Just for her sanity, she knew she needed to be doing something.

Almost first thing the next morning, Dr. Riley showed up to examine Jessie. She hadn't been expecting his visit, but by the looks on everyone else's faces, it was apparent they'd been expecting him. She did her best to keep calm, but she was feeling angry and upset. Once again, they were making decisions without her and she wasn't just going to sit down and take it. She knew some of her feelings were from the withdrawal symptoms, but not all of them. That was what made her more angry than upset.

After her examination was complete, Dr. Riley addressed everyone, so there was no confusion, or secrets, about her condition.

"Jessie is doing fine. I want her to mostly rest for a couple more days. But after that, I want her to move around. I want her to go for small walks. Nothing too stenuous. Her blood pressure is slightly elevated. But from her hospital records, her blood pressure was mostly stable. I'll just chalk it to having a surprise exam," he winked at her knowingly. "Any questions?"

"What do you mean by nothing too strenuous?" she asked before anyone else had a chance, ignoring the disproving looks.

"Any lifting that requires bending or squatting, such as laundry. Grocery bags are fine if they are light and you don't have to strain to pick them up. Preferably, nothing over fifteen pounds," he replied.

"What about housework?" Bobby asked before she could ask another question.

"Light house cleaning, such as cooking and cleaning, but no sweeping or mopping," he said as he picked up his coat off the table he'd left it on. "If there are anymore concerns about what Jessie can or can't do, just call my office and speak with my nurse. She'll be able to answer all your questions."

Dean and Bobby walked the doctor out, while Sam moved to stand beside his wife. They didn't speak, which was to Jessie's relief. She was irritated and didn't want to take her bad mood out on him. He was doing what any good husband should be doing. Standing by her side, worrying about her, wanting to take care of her. And she should've wanted all of that. But she didn't. She wanted to be left alone. And most of all, she wanted demon blood. She hated herself for feeling this way. All she could do was continue telling herself it was worth it. It was all for the baby. And soon it would be over. It was the mantra she'd been repeating to herself for so long, she actually believed it now.

The next three days were probably the longest three days of Jessie's life. She knew there was absolutely no way she'd get a chance to leave the house alone to get some blood, so she had to do anything to keep her mind from it. And since she wasn't allowed to wander the house, and Bobby had forbidden her to look for any cases, in case it would upset her enough to raise her blood pressure, she didn't have many options. She could only play so much online poker. Besides, when she was on her computer, Bobby and the boys would make a habit of walking by to make sure she wasn't searching for a case, which would only serve to irritate her more. And even though it was nice to be waited on almost hand and foot, it got old really fast. She was too used to doing things for herself. She just wanted to do something, anything.

Her irritation became more pronounced as the hours passed, eventually getting to the point when no one, including Sam, even wanted to talk to her. By the end of that third day, the men of the house did their best to keep an eye on her, but not speak to her. She would've felt terrible about the way she was acting if she was in her right mind. But at this point she wasn't rational.

The fourth day was the one she'd been waiting for. After coffee and breakfast, she headed out of the house for a walk to the shed. She made it clear that no one was to follow her and that she wouldn't stray too far from the house. She made it look like she was going in a different direction until she was out of view, then headed straight to the shed. She was glad to see Crowley had kept it stocked for her. And once she'd drank every last drop, she felt the majority of her rage dissipate in an instant. So with a new attitude, she finished her walk before heading back into the house.

**A/N: I am SO sorry it's taken me this long to get another chapter up. I have a new computer now, so that shouldn't be an issue any longer. All I can say is I have had issues with sitting down and actually writing. Much of this chapter was written a few sentences at a time with a lot of time in between. I know where the story is heading, I have for a long time, but actually writing to get there is leaving me frustrated at times. I won't make any promises, but I will try to write the next one as quick as possible. Things are about to come to a head. That's all I can say.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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